Freeze/thaw cycle (F/T)–induced vesicle growth and compositional changes (IMAGE)
Caption
(A) Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images of vesicles before and after F/T. Vesicles initially prepared at ~100 nm in diameter grew to several micrometers after F/T, with PLPC vesicles exhibiting markedly stronger growth than those made from POPC. (B) Relationship between the fraction of enlarged vesicles and membrane-mixing efficiency within the enlarged population. Each point represents a different lipid composition. The positive correlation indicates that lipid compositions with higher growth propensity also show more extensive membrane mixing upon growth. (C) Compositional selection from mixed vesicles. After F/T, the enlarged vesicle population was enriched in PLPC and in the DNA originally encapsulated within PLPC vesicles. These results demonstrate that growth-favorable lipid species selectively constitute the enlarged vesicles and that their encapsulated molecules are concurrently and preferentially inherited.
Credit
Adapted from Chem. Sci.
Usage Restrictions
Credit must be given to the creator. Only noncommercial uses of the work are permitted. No derivatives or adaptations of the work are permitted.
License
CC BY-NC-ND