Supported Lipid Bilayer Technology

To address some of the biological questions stated above, we have a long-standing interest in the further development of supported lipid bilayers as models of biological membranes. We recently developed methods to prepare single planar lipid bilayers on soft polymer cushions. Several integral membrane proteins have been shown to be laterally mobile in these model membranes. Their motions and interactions can be studied by single-molecule total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy (TIRFM), by fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP), and by fluorescence interference contrast (FLIC) microscopy. This system is also very useful to study the assembly and dynamics of lateral membrane domains ('lipid rafts') (see here for picture). For example, we recently discovered that raft-like lipid domains are induced in inner leaflet lipid mixtures by raft-like lipid domains in outer leaflet mixtures in asymmetric bilayers. Protein targeting can be studied in these heterogeneous hybrid bilayers.

Design of a tethered polymer-supported lipid bilayer

Recent Key Publications:

Kiessling V., Crane, J.M., Tamm L.K. (2006). Transbilayer Effects of Raft-Like Lipid Domains in Asymmetric Planar Bilayer Measured by Single Molecule Tracking Biophysical Journal. 91: 3313-3326. (Full text in PDF) (Erratum)

Crane, J.M., V. Kiessling, and L.K. Tamm (2005). Measuring Lipid Asymmetry In Planar Supported Bilayers by Fluorescence Interference Contrast Micorscopy. Langmuir. 21: 1377-1388. (Full text in PDF)

Crane, J.M. and L.K. Tamm (2004). Role of cholesterol in the formation and nature of lipid rafts in planar and spherical model membranes. Biophys. J. 86: 2965-2979. (Full text in PDF)

Kiessling, V. and L.K. Tamm (2003). Measuring distances in supported bilayers by fluorescence interference-contrast microscopy: polymer supports and SNARE proteins. Biophys. J. 84: 408-418. (Full text in PDF)

Wagner, M.L. and L.K. Tamm (2001). Reconstituted syntaxin1A/SNAP25 interacts with negatively charged lipids as measured by lateral diffusion in planar supported bilayers. Biophys. J. 81: 266-275.(Full text in PDF)

Tamm, L.K., V. Kiessling, and M.L. Wagner (2001). Membrane Dynamics. Encyclopedia of Life Sciences. Nature Publishing Group, Macmillan Publishers, Ltd. (http://www.els.net)

Wagner, M.L. and L.K. Tamm (2000). Tethered polymer-supported planar lipid bilayers for reconstitution of integral membrane proteins: silane-PEG-lipid as a cushion and covalent linker. Biophys. J.79:1400-1414. (Full text in PDF)

Tamm, L.K. and Z. Shao (1998). The application of AFM to biomembranes. In Biomembrane Structure. D. Chapman and P. Haris, eds., IOS Press, Amsterdam, pp. 169-185.

Tamm, L.K. and S.A. Tatulian (1997). Infrared spectroscopy of proteins and peptides in lipid bilayers. Quart. Rev. Biophys. 30: 365-429.

Tamm, L.K., C. Böhm, J. Yang, Z.Shao, J. Hwang, M. Edidin, and E. Betzig (1996). Nanostructure of supported phospholipid monolayers and bilayers by scanning probe microscopy. Thin Solid Films. 284/285: 813-816.

Hwang, J., L.K. Tamm, C. Böhm, T.S. Ramalingam, E. Betzig, and M. Edidin (1995). Nanoscale complexity of phospholipid monolayers investigated by near-field scannning optical microscopy. Science. 270: 610-614.

Gilmanshin, R., C.E. Creutz, and L.K. Tamm (1994). Annexin IV reduces the rate of lateral lipid diffusion and changes the fluid phase structure of the lipid bilayer when it binds to negatively charged membranes in the presence of calcium. Biochemistry. 33: 8225-8232.

Kalb, E., S. Frey, and L.K. Tamm (1992). Formation of supported planar bilayers by fusion of vesicles to supported phospholipid monolayers. Biochim. Biophys. Acta. 1103:307-317.

Kalb, E., J. Engel, and L.K. Tamm (1990). Binding of proteins to specific target sites in membranes measured by total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy. Biochemistry. 29: 1607-1613.