Lipid membranes supported by polydimethylsiloxane substrates with designed geometry

The membrane curvature of cells and intracellular compartments continuously adapts to enable cells to perform vital functions, from cell division to signal trafficking. Understanding how membrane geometry affects these processes is challenging because of the biochemical and geometrical complexity as...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inSoft matter Vol. 20; no. 37; pp. 7379 - 7386
Main Authors Rinaldin, Melissa, Ten Haaf, Sebastiaan L D, Vegter, Ernst J, van der Wel, Casper, Fonda, Piermarco, Giomi, Luca, Kraft, Daniela J
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published England Royal Society of Chemistry 25.09.2024
Subjects
Biomedical materials
Biosensors
Cell division
Cellular structure
Curvature
Diffusion coefficient
Fabrication
Geometry
In vivo methods and tests
Interfaces
Lateral diffusion
Lipid membranes
Lipids
Membrane trafficking
Membranes
Microprinting
Phase separation
Polydimethylsiloxane
Substrates
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Summary:The membrane curvature of cells and intracellular compartments continuously adapts to enable cells to perform vital functions, from cell division to signal trafficking. Understanding how membrane geometry affects these processes is challenging because of the biochemical and geometrical complexity as well as the short time and small length scales involved in cellular processes. By contrast, model membranes with engineered curvature would provide a versatile platform for this investigation and applications to biosensing and biocomputing. Here, we present a strategy that allows fabrication of lipid membranes with designed shape by combining 3D micro-printing and replica-molding lithography with polydimethylsiloxane to create curved micrometer-sized scaffolds with virtually any geometry. The resulting supported lipid membranes are homogeneous and fluid. We demonstrate the versatility of the system by fabricating structures of interesting combinations of mean and Gaussian curvature. We study the lateral phase separation and how local curvature influences the effective diffusion coefficient. Overall, we offer a bio-compatible platform for understanding curvature-dependent cellular processes and developing programmable bio-interfaces for living cells and nanostructures.
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ISSN:1744-683X
1744-6848
1744-6848
DOI:10.1039/d4sm00380b