Membrane on a Chip: A Functional Tethered Lipid Bilayer Membrane on Silicon Oxide Surfaces

• Published in: Biophysical journal Vol. 89; no. 3; pp. 1780 - 1788
• Main Authors: Atanasov, Vladimir, Knorr, Nikolaus, Duran, Randolph S., Ingebrandt, Sven, Offenhäusser, Andreas, Knoll, Wolfgang, Köper, Ingo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01-09-2005; Biophysical Society
• Subjects: Biochemistry; Biophysics - methods; Chemical compounds; Electric Impedance; Electrochemistry; Gold - chemistry; Gramicidin - pharmacology; Ion Channels - chemistry; Ionophores - pharmacology; Ions; Lipid Bilayers - chemistry; Lipid Bilayers - metabolism; Lipids; Lipids - chemistry; Membranes; Microscopy, Atomic Force; Models, Chemical; Phosphatidylcholines - chemistry; Phytol - chemistry; Protein Array Analysis - methods; Silanes - chemistry; Silanes - metabolism; Silicon - chemistry; Silicon Dioxide - chemistry; Spectrophotometry; Substrate Specificity; Substrates; Temperature; Time Factors; Valinomycin - chemistry; Valinomycin - pharmacology
• ISSN: 0006-3495; 1542-0086
• DOI: 10.1529/biophysj.105.061374

Tethered membranes have been proven during recent years to be a powerful and flexible biomimetic platform. We reported in a previous article on the design of a new architecture based on the self-assembly of a thiolipid on ultrasmooth gold substrates, which shows extremely good electrical sealing properties as well as functionality of a bilayer membrane. Here, we describe the synthesis of lipids for a more modular design and the adaptation of the linker part to silane chemistry. We were able to form a functional tethered bilayer lipid membrane with good electrical sealing properties covering a silicon oxide surface. We demonstrate the functional incorporation of the ion carrier valinomycin and of the ion channel gramicidin.