Observation of stripe superstructure in the β-two-phase coexistence region of cholesterol-phospholipid mixtures in supported membranes

Seyed R. Tabaei, Joshua A. Jackman, Bo Liedberg, Atul N. Parikh*, Nam Joon Cho

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

28 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Visualization of phase coexistence in the βregion of cholesterol-phospholipid mixtures consisting of high cholesterol concentrations has proved elusive in lipid bilayers. Here, using the solvent-assisted lipid bilayer approach to prepare supported membranes with high cholesterol fractions close to the cholesterol solubility limit, we report the observation of coexisting liquid phases using fluorescence microscopy. At ∼63 mol % cholesterol, supported membranes consisting of mixtures of DOPC and cholesterol exhibit large-area striping reminiscent of the stripe superstructures that characterize the proximity of the second critical point in the miscibility phase diagram. The properties of the two phases are consistent with condensed complex-rich and cholesterol-rich liquids. Both phases exhibit long-range lateral mobility, and diffusion through a given phase is favored over hopping across the phase boundary, producing an "archipelago effect" and a complex percolation path.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)16962-16965
Number of pages4
JournalJournal of the American Chemical Society
Volume136
Issue number49
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Dec 10 2014
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2014 American Chemical Society.

ASJC Scopus Subject Areas

  • Catalysis
  • General Chemistry
  • Biochemistry
  • Colloid and Surface Chemistry

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