Lipid Bilayers on Chip

A special issue of Micromachines (ISSN 2072-666X). This special issue belongs to the section "B:Biology and Biomedicine".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 November 2020) | Viewed by 14572

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Artificial Cell Membrane Systems Group, Kanagawa Institute of Industrial Science and Technology, 3-2-1 Sakado, Takatsu-ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa 213-0012, Japan
Interests: solid–liquid interface; lipid bilayers; membrane transporters; biohybrid devices
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Lipid bilayers are one of the fundamental models of biological membranes. Over the past 15 years, microfluidics and MEMS technologies have been exploited for precise manipulation of the lipid materials and made great contributions to produce planar and vesicular forms of lipid membranes in a controlled and reproducible manner; for example, planar lipid bilayers were suspended at a micrometer-sized aperture fabricated by a photolithography process, supported lipid bilayers were formed on a surface-modified microfluidic channels, and lipid vesicles were produced by traversing droplets from oil to an aqueous phase. This advancement in planar membranes and vesicles has further extended their research fields in exploration of the fundamental properties of cell membranes, creation of bottom–up synthetic cells, development of a drug screening system for cell membranes, and integration of membrane receptors for chemical sensors. Accordingly, this Special Issue seeks to showcase research papers, short communications, and review articles that focus on: (1) novel methodological developments in the formation of planar lipid bilayers or vesicles; and (2) novel applications of lipid bilayer based microdevices, including but not limited to discovery of membrane properties, bottom–up assembly of synthetic cells/tissues, and development of cell membrane based sensors.

Dr. Toshihisa Osaki
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • Lipid bilayers/lipid vesicles on chip
  • Characterization of lipid bilayers and cell membranes
  • Artificial cells/tissues with lipid membranes
  • Cell membrane-based sensors

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 3153 KiB  
Article
Parallel Recordings of Transmembrane hERG Channel Currents Based on Solvent-Free Lipid Bilayer Microarray
by Ryusuke Miyata, Daisuke Tadaki, Daichi Yamaura, Shun Araki, Madoka Sato, Maki Komiya, Teng Ma, Hideaki Yamamoto, Michio Niwano and Ayumi Hirano-Iwata
Micromachines 2021, 12(1), 98; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi12010098 - 19 Jan 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3323
Abstract
The reconstitution of ion-channel proteins in artificially formed bilayer lipid membranes (BLMs) forms a well-defined system for the functional analysis of ion channels and screening of the effects of drugs that act on these proteins. To improve the efficiency of the BLM reconstitution [...] Read more.
The reconstitution of ion-channel proteins in artificially formed bilayer lipid membranes (BLMs) forms a well-defined system for the functional analysis of ion channels and screening of the effects of drugs that act on these proteins. To improve the efficiency of the BLM reconstitution system, we report on a microarray of stable solvent-free BLMs formed in microfabricated silicon (Si) chips, where micro-apertures with well-defined nano- and micro-tapered edges were fabricated. Sixteen micro-wells were manufactured in a chamber made of Teflon®, and the Si chips were individually embedded in the respective wells as a recording site. Typically, 11 to 16 BLMs were simultaneously formed with an average BLM number of 13.1, which corresponded to a formation probability of 82%. Parallel recordings of ion-channel activities from multiple BLMs were successfully demonstrated using the human ether-a-go-go-related gene (hERG) potassium channel, of which the relation to arrhythmic side effects following drug treatment is well recognized. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lipid Bilayers on Chip)
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9 pages, 2614 KiB  
Article
Efficient Lipid Bilayer Formation by Dipping Lipid-Loaded Microperforated Sheet in Aqueous Solution
by Nobuo Misawa, Satoshi Fujii, Koki Kamiya, Toshihisa Osaki and Shoji Takeuchi
Micromachines 2021, 12(1), 53; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi12010053 - 5 Jan 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2749
Abstract
This paper describes a method for a bilayer lipid membrane (BLM) formation using a perforated sheet along with an open chamber. Microscopic observation of the formed membrane showed a typical droplet interface bilayer. We proved that the formed membrane was a BLM based [...] Read more.
This paper describes a method for a bilayer lipid membrane (BLM) formation using a perforated sheet along with an open chamber. Microscopic observation of the formed membrane showed a typical droplet interface bilayer. We proved that the formed membrane was a BLM based on electrical measurements of the membrane protein α-hemolysin, which produces nanopores in BLMs. Unlike the conventional approach for BLM formation based on the droplet contact method, this method provides aqueous surfaces with no organic solvent coating layer. Hence, this method is suitable for producing BLMs that facilitate the direct addition of chemicals into the aqueous phase. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lipid Bilayers on Chip)
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13 pages, 3597 KiB  
Article
A Lipid-Bilayer-On-A-Cup Device for Pumpless Sample Exchange
by Yoshihisa Ito, Yusuke Izawa, Toshihisa Osaki, Koki Kamiya, Nobuo Misawa, Satoshi Fujii, Hisatoshi Mimura, Norihisa Miki and Shoji Takeuchi
Micromachines 2020, 11(12), 1123; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi11121123 - 18 Dec 2020
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3671
Abstract
Lipid-bilayer devices have been studied for on-site sensors in the fields of diagnosis, food and environmental monitoring, and safety/security inspection. In this paper, we propose a lipid-bilayer-on-a-cup device for serial sample measurements using a pumpless solution exchange procedure. The device consists of a [...] Read more.
Lipid-bilayer devices have been studied for on-site sensors in the fields of diagnosis, food and environmental monitoring, and safety/security inspection. In this paper, we propose a lipid-bilayer-on-a-cup device for serial sample measurements using a pumpless solution exchange procedure. The device consists of a millimeter-scale cylindrical cup with vertical slits which is designed to steadily hold an aqueous solution and exchange the sample by simply fusing and splitting the solution with an external solution. The slit design was experimentally determined by the capabilities of both the retention and exchange of the solution. Using the optimized slit, a planar lipid bilayer was reconstituted with a nanopore protein at a microaperture allocated to the bottom of the cup, and the device was connected to a portable amplifier. The solution exchangeability was demonstrated by observing the dilution process of a blocker molecule of the nanopore dissolved in the cup. The pumpless solution exchange by the proposed cup-like device presents potential as a lipid-bilayer system for portable sensing applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lipid Bilayers on Chip)
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15 pages, 3878 KiB  
Article
A Lipid Bilayer Formed on a Hydrogel Bead for Single Ion Channel Recordings
by Minako Hirano, Daiki Yamamoto, Mami Asakura, Tohru Hayakawa, Shintaro Mise, Akinobu Matsumoto and Toru Ide
Micromachines 2020, 11(12), 1070; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi11121070 - 1 Dec 2020
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 4008
Abstract
Ion channel proteins play important roles in various cell functions, making them attractive drug targets. Artificial lipid bilayer recording is a technique used to measure the ion transport activities of channel proteins with high sensitivity and accuracy. However, the measurement efficiency is low. [...] Read more.
Ion channel proteins play important roles in various cell functions, making them attractive drug targets. Artificial lipid bilayer recording is a technique used to measure the ion transport activities of channel proteins with high sensitivity and accuracy. However, the measurement efficiency is low. In order to improve the efficiency, we developed a method that allows us to form bilayers on a hydrogel bead and record channel currents promptly. We tested our system by measuring the activities of various types of channels, including gramicidin, alamethicin, α-hemolysin, a voltage-dependent anion channel 1 (VDAC1), a voltage- and calcium-activated large conductance potassium channel (BK channel), and a potassium channel from Streptomyces lividans (KcsA channel). We confirmed the ability for enhanced measurement efficiency and measurement system miniaturizion. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lipid Bilayers on Chip)
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