Journal of Biological Physics

, Volume 32, Issue 2, pp 177–181 | Cite as

Shapes of Mixed Phospholipid Vesicles

  • Gerardo Paredes-Quijada
  • Helim Aranda-Espinoza
  • Amir Maldonado
Short Note
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Abstract

We studied the shape of phospholipid vesicles prepared by hydration of a mixture of phosphatidylcholine (SOPC) and phosphatidylserine (SOPS) in different proportions. The aim of the work is to obtain some insight into the influence of the chemical composition of a biomembrane on its shape. The optical microscopy results show that the shape of the vesicles depend on the SOPC:SOPS composition. For low SOPS contents, coiled cylindrical vesicles are observed. The results suggest that specific compositions of the SOPC:SOPS vesicles produce some spontaneous curvature on the membrane and then a coiling instability.

Keywords

biological membranes vesicles phospholipids vesicle coiling 
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Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media, Inc. 2006

Authors and Affiliations

  • Gerardo Paredes-Quijada
    • 1
  • Helim Aranda-Espinoza
    • 2
  • Amir Maldonado
    • 3
  1. 1.Posgrado en Polímeros y MaterialesUniversidad de SonoraHermosilloMexico
  2. 2.Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Bioengineering Graduate ProgramUniversity of MarylandCollege ParkUSA
  3. 3.Departamento de FísicaUniversidad de SonoraHermosilloMexico

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