Abstract
Polyunsaturated acyl chains have special influences on the mixing and phase behaviors of lipid mixtures. Their high degree of unsaturation affects the physical properties of biomembranes in ways that are still not fully understood, and their high concentration in some membranes makes them key players in membrane structure. We are investigating the 3-component phase diagram for the biologically relevant mixture of brain-SM/ 18:0-22:6 PC/ cholesterol. Fluorescence microscopy imaging of giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) was employed for phase boundary visualization and phase identification of the 3-component mixture. Fluorescent lipid probes having complementary partitioning behavior are used in FRET measurements to enable more quantitative analysis. Of particular interest is the region of Lo + Lα phase coexistence, which shows macroscopic phase separation.
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