Supported Lipid Bilayers as Models for Biological Membranes: From Membrane Domains to Membrane Fusion

Lukas Tamm, Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics, University of Virginia

Supported lipid bilayer membranes have found wide application as models of cellular membranes in fundamental and applied biophysical research. Interest in supported membranes ranges from studies of the dynamic structure of membranes to their self-assembly, lipid-protein interactions, and the construction of membrane-based biosensors. Recent advances in supported bilayer fabrication as well as novel laser-based measuring techniques such as single-molecule total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) and fluorescence interference-contrast (FLIC) microscopy will be discussed. These methods will be applied to studies of the lateral domain structure (.lipid rafts.) of membranes and events contributing to the mechanism of presynaptic membrane fusion in synaptic signal transmission.

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