Biophysical Journal 51: 989-992 (1987)
© 1987 the Biophysical Society

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Huang, H W Articles by Olah, G A Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Huang, H W Articles by Olah, G A

Uniformly oriented gramicidin channels embedded in thick monodomain lecithin multilayers.

ABSTRACT

Phosphatidylcholine multilayers, containing 20% water by total sample weight and gramicidin/lipid molar ratios up to 1:40 were aligned by low temperature annealing (less than 60 degrees C) and mechanical stressing. We were able to obtain large (greater than 80 micron thick X 40 mm2 area) monodomain defect-free multilayers containing approximately 10(17) uniformly oriented gramicidin channels. The alignment of lipid multilayers was monitored by conoscopy and polarized microscopy. The smectic defects, which appeared during the alignment process, were identified and dissolved. The incorporation of gramicidin into the multilayers in the form of transmembrane channels was indicated by its circular dichroic (CD) spectrum. A well-defined CD spectrum of uniformly oriented gramicidin channels was obtained. The oriented samples will allow spectroscopic studies of the ion channel in its conducting state and diffraction studies of the channel-channel organization in the membrane.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				T. M. Weiss, P. C. A. van der Wel, J. A. Killian, R. E. Koeppe II, and H. W. Huang Hydrophobic Mismatch between Helices and Lipid Bilayers Biophys. J., January 1, 2003; 84(1): 379 - 385. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]