Tracking single particles on supported lipid membranes: multimobility diffusion and nanoscopic confinement

J Phys Chem B. 2014 Feb 13;118(6):1545-54. doi: 10.1021/jp412203t. Epub 2014 Jan 30.

Abstract

Supported lipid bilayers have been studied intensively over the past two decades. In this work, we study the diffusion of single gold nanoparticles (GNPs) with diameter of 20 nm attached to GM1 ganglioside or DOPE lipids at different concentrations in supported DOPC bilayers. The indefinite photostability of GNPs combined with the high sensitivity of interferometric scattering microscopy (iSCAT) allows us to achieve 1.9 nm spatial precision at 1 ms temporal resolution, while maintaining long recording times. Our trajectories visualize strong transient confinements within domains as small as 20 nm, and the statistical analysis of the data reveals multiple mobilities and deviations from normal diffusion. We present a detailed analysis of our findings and provide interpretations regarding the effect of the supporting substrate and GM1 clustering. We also comment on the use of high-speed iSCAT for investigating diffusion of lipids, proteins, or viruses in lipid membranes with unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Biotinylation
  • Cell Membrane / metabolism*
  • Cholera Toxin / metabolism
  • Diffusion
  • G(M1) Ganglioside / metabolism
  • Gold / chemistry*
  • Gold / metabolism*
  • Lipid Bilayers / metabolism
  • Metal Nanoparticles*
  • Particle Size
  • Streptavidin / metabolism

Substances

  • Lipid Bilayers
  • G(M1) Ganglioside
  • Gold
  • Cholera Toxin
  • Streptavidin