Penetration of cell membranes and synthetic lipid bilayers by nanoprobes.

ABSTRACT: Nanoscale devices have been proposed as tools for measuring and controlling intracellular activity by providing electrical and/or chemical access to the cytosol. Unfortunately, nanostructures with diameters of 50-500 nm do not readily penetrate the cell membrane, and rationally optimizing nanoprobes for cell penetration requires real-time characterization methods that are capable of following the process of membrane penetration with nanometer resolution. Although extensive work has examined the rupture of supported synthetic lipid bilayers, little is known about the applicability of these model systems to living cell membranes with complex lipid compositions, cytoskeletal attachment, and membrane proteins. Here, we describe atomic force microscopy (AFM) membrane penetration experiments in

SUBMITTER: Angle MR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4223211 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature