Analytical Sciences

Development of a New Experimental System for Monitoring Biomembrane Reactions: Combination of Laser Spectroscopic Techniques and Biomembrane Models Formed at an Oil/Water Interface

Toshinori MORISAKU,* Hiroharu YUI,*^,** and Tsuguo SAWADA*^,**

*Department of Advanced Materials Science, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan
**Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology (CREST), Japan Science and Technology Corporation (JST), 7-3-1, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan

We present a new experimental system to observe reactions in biomembranes by combining laser spectroscopic techniques with phospholipid monolayers formed at oil/water interfaces. The system can monitor reactions through changes in interfacial tension at oil/water interfaces induced by the reactions under non-destructive and non-contact conditions. In addition, oil/water interfaces with defined areas can define the composition of different kinds of phospholipids. Furthermore, the system allows using, as an oil phase, alkanes whose number of carbon atoms is close to the number of the alkyl chains of phospholipids in biomembranes (C ≥ 16). We demonstrated the hydrolysis reaction in DPPC (dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine)/DPPS (dipalmitoyl phosphatidylserine)-mixed monolayers by phospholipase A₂ by using the system.

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