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Giant Unilamellar Anchored Vesicles



Giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) are model membrane systems consisting of a single lipid bilayer separating an inner lumen from the outer solution, with dimensions comparable to that of eukaryotic cells. The importance of these biomimetic systems has recently grown with the development of easy and safe methods to assemble GUVs from complex biorelevant compositions. However, size and position control is still a key challenge for GUV formation and manipulation. We developed a new, gel-assisted formation method able to produce arrays of giant unilamellar anchored vesicles (GUAVs) with a predetermined narrow size distribution. As templates we use micropatterned gel substrates of cross-linked poly(N-isopropylacrylamide). 


         
 Formation of giant vesicles. Schemes of GUVs forming (a) with various sizes on a homogenous hydrogel film and
(b) with a defined size on the pillars of a micropatterned hydrogel film. A dry layer of lipids spread on the surface of
a dry PNIPAAm gel is hydrated from water coming from below (blue arrows) and swelling the gel. (c) 2D CLSM image
of an array of uniform GUAVs, prepared on a micropatterned PNIPAAm hydrogel. (d) 3D CLSM image of an array of
16 GUAVs zoomed in to a single pillar with one GUAV on top.





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Controlling the vesicle size. GUAVs prepared by PNIPAAm gel-assisted swelling for three different mask/pattern sizes.
(a) CLSM images (xy plane) of GUAVs, labeled with Atto488. (b) CLSM images (xz plane) of GUAVs. (c) Size distribution
of the GUAV diameters. The histograms were obtained by measuring the diameters of roughly 90 GUAVs for each pattern.
The lines represent a normal distribution fit that yielded the values of the average GUAV diameter and the respective standard deviation.




  • Schultze J, Vagias A, Ye L, Prantl E, Breising V, Best A, Koynov K, Marques M, Butt H-J:
    Preparation of Monodisperse Giant Unilamellar Anchored Vesicles Using Micropatterned Hydrogel Substrates.
    ACS Omega, 2019, 4, 9393-9399 (doi 10.1021/acsomega.9b00912)