Membrane fusion studied by colloidal probes.

Membrane-coated colloidal probes combine the benefits of solid-supported membranes with a more complex three-dimensional geometry. This combination makes them a powerful model system that enables the visualization of dynamic biological processes with high throughput and minimal reliance on fluorescent labels. Here, we want to review recent applications of colloidal probes for the study of membrane fusion. After discussing the advantages and disadvantages of some classical vesicle-based fusion assays, we introduce an assay using optical detection of fusion between membrane-coated glass microspheres in a quasi two-dimensional assembly. Then, we discuss free energy considerations of membrane fusion between supported bilayers, and show how colloidal probes can be combined with atomic force microscopy or optical tweezers to access the fusion process with even greater detail.

Size and mobility of lipid domains tuned by geometrical constraints.

In the plasma membrane of eukaryotic cells, proteins and lipids are organized in clusters, the latter ones often called lipid domains or "lipid rafts." Recent findings highlight the dynamic nature of such domains and the key role of membrane geometry and spatial boundaries. In this study, we used porous substrates with different pore radii to address precisely the extent of the geometric constraint, permitting us to modulate and investigate the size and mobility of lipid domains in phase-separated continuous pore-spanning membranes (PSMs). Fluorescence video microscopy revealed two types of liquid-ordered (lo) domains in the freestanding parts of the PSMs: (i) immobile domains that were attached to the pore rims and (ii) mobile, round-shaped lo domains within the center of the PSMs. Analysis of the diffusion of the mobile lo domains by video microscopy and particle tracking showed that the domains' mobility is slowed down by orders of magnitude compared with the unrestricted case. We attribute the reduced mobility to the geometric confinement of the PSM, because the drag force is increased substantially due to hydrodynamic effects generated by the presence of these boundaries. Our system can serve as an experimental test bed for diffusion of 2D objects in confined geometry. The impact of hydrodynamics on the mobility of enclosed lipid domains can have great implications for the formation and lateral transport of signaling platforms.

Geometry of the Contact Zone between Fused Membrane-Coated Beads Mimicking Cell-Cell Fusion.

The fusion of lipid membranes is a key process in biology. It enables cells and organelles to exchange molecules with their surroundings, which otherwise could not cross the membrane barrier. To study such complex processes we use simplified artificial model systems, i.e., an optical fusion assay based on membrane-coated glass spheres. We present a technique to analyze membrane-membrane interactions in a large ensemble of particles. Detailed information on the geometry of the fusion stalk of fully fused membranes is obtained by studying the diffusional lipid dynamics with fluorescence recovery after photobleaching experiments. A small contact zone is a strong obstruction for the particle exchange across the fusion spot. With the aid of computer simulations, fluorescence-recovery-after-photobleaching recovery times of both fused and single-membrane-coated beads allow us to estimate the size of the contact zones between two membrane-coated beads. Minimizing delamination and bending energy leads to minimal angles close to those geometrically allowed.

Size, Kinetics, and Free Energy of Clusters Formed by Ultraweak Carbohydrate-Carbohydrate Bonds.

Weak noncovalent intermolecular interactions play a pivotal role in many biological processes such as cell adhesion or immunology, where the overall binding strength is controlled through bond association and dissociation dynamics as well as the cooperative action of many parallel bonds. Among the various molecules participating in weak bonds, carbohydrate-carbohydrate interactions are probably the most ancient ones allowing individual cells to reversibly enter the multicellular state and to tell apart self and nonself cells. Here, we scrutinized the kinetics and thermodynamics of small homomeric Lewis X-Lewis X ensembles formed in the contact zone of a membrane-coated colloidal probe and a solid supported membrane ensuring minimal nonspecific background interactions. We used an atomic force microscope to measure force distance curves at Piconewton resolution, which allowed us to measure the force due to unbinding of the colloidal probe and the planar membrane as a function of contact time. Applying a contact model, we could estimate the free binding energy of the formed adhesion cluster as a function of dwell time and thereby determine the precise size of the contact zone, the number of participating bonds, and the intrinsic rates of association and dissociation in the presence of calcium ions. The unbinding energy per bond was found to be on the order of 1 kBT. Approximately 30 bonds were opened simultaneously at an off-rate of koff = 7 ± 0.2 s(-1).