ESR METHOD FOR DETERMINING TIE-LINES IN COEXISTING MEMBRANE PHASES

该子项目是利用 由NIH/NCRR资助的中心赠款提供的资源。子项目和 研究者（PI）可能从另一个NIH来源获得主要资金， 因此可以在其他CRISP条目中表示。列出的机构是 中心，不一定是研究者的机构。 当不同组成的域共存时，脂质双层组分的非随机混合是相关的。特别是脂筏在细胞膜的信号转导、蛋白质转运、内吞和粘附等功能中发挥着重要作用。细胞膜中筏形成的一个方面是是否存在脂质到共存液相中的实际横向分离，即，液相有序（Lo）和液相无序（La）相。囊泡中共存的脂质双层相的检测已经通过多种方法完成。然而，共存相的组成一直非常难以确定。共存相的完整描述包括它们各自的组成，其由热力学联络线提供。荧光显微镜使可视化的共存的脂质相在巨大的单层相，但组成信息丢失。 ESR能够提供这些信息。

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Non-random mixing of lipid bilayer components is relevant when domains of different composition coexist. In particular, so-called lipid rafts seem to play important roles in functions of cell membranes such as signaling, protein transport, endocytosis and adhesion. One aspect of raft formation in cell membranes is whether there is actual lateral separation of lipids into coexisting liquid phases, i.e., liquid-ordered (Lo) and liquid-disordered (La) phases. Detection of coexisting lipid bilayer phases in vesicles has been accomplished by a variety of methods. However, the compositions of the coexisting phases have been exceedingly difficult to determine. A full description of coexisting phases includes their respective compositions, which are provided by the thermodynamic tie-lines. Fluorescence microscopy enables visualization of coexisting lipid phases in giant unilamellar phases, but the composition information is missing. ESR is capable of supplying such information.