Electric field-induced concentration gradients in planar supported bilayers

A simple method of generating electric field-induced concentration gradients in planar supported bilayers has been developed. Gradients of charged, fluorescently labeled probes were visualized by epifluorescence microscopy and could be observed at field strengths as low as 1 V/cm. Steady-state conce...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Biophysical journal 1995-11, Vol.69 (5), p.1972-1975
Main Authors: Groves, J.T., Boxer, S.G.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biophysical Phenomena
Biophysics
Diffusion
Electricity
Fluorescent Dyes
Lipid Bilayers - chemistry
Microscopy, Fluorescence
Models, Chemical
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Summary:A simple method of generating electric field-induced concentration gradients in planar supported bilayers has been developed. Gradients of charged, fluorescently labeled probes were visualized by epifluorescence microscopy and could be observed at field strengths as low as 1 V/cm. Steady-state concentration gradients can be described by a simple competition between random diffusion and electric field-induced drift. A model based on this principle has been used to determine the diffusion coefficient of the fluorescent probes. This technique achieves a degree of electrical manipulation of supported bilayers that offers a variety of possibilities for the development of new molecular architectures and the study of biological membranes.
ISSN:0006-3495
1542-0086
DOI:10.1016/S0006-3495(95)80067-6