Determining the Stability of Lipid Organization in Asymmetric Liposomes

The outer covering of organisms often come in the form of a cellular plasma membrane, providing protection from harsh external factors. However, protection is not its only function; it acts as a matrix for important cellular reactions and processes (e.g. signal transduction, protein interactions, and more). At its basis, the membrane is a lipid bilayer with two apposing monolayers. These monolayers are composed of different lipid constituents (dubbed “membrane asymmetry”), conferring the monolayers unique physical and chemical properties from one another that affect protein shape and function. Despite the ubiquity of membrane asymmetry, most model membrane systems used are symmetric due to the difficulties in constructing asymmetric membranes. As a result, this project will aim to improve their synthesis, characterize different lipid compositions, and test these asymmetric membranes, to help shed light on the biological implications of lipid asymmetry on membrane properties and function.

Faculty Supervisor:

Drew Marquardt

Student:

Partner:

University of Tennessee

Discipline:

Physics

Sector:

Education

University:

University of Windsor

Program: