Substrate-supported planar lipid bilayers (SPBs) are being utilized as a versatile model system of the biological membrane. However, functional assays of membrane proteins in SPB are limited due to the proximity between the solid support and the membrane. For controlling the substrate-membrane distance, we developed a hybrid membrane of SPB and hydrophilic polymer brush. A micropatterned SPB comprising polymerized bilayer and natural (fluid) lipid bilayer was lithographically generated. Hydrophilic polymer brushes of poly-2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (poly(MPC)) was formed on the surface of the polymeric bilayer by <i>in-situ </i>atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). The polymeric bilayer acted as a stable scaffold for both the fluid bilayer and the polymer brush. The ATRP reaction could be conducted in the aqueous solution, in the presence of embedded fluid bilayers. The polymer brush terminals could be functionalized by forming a block copolymer of poly(MPC) and poly-(2-aminoethyl methacrylate) (poly(AMA)) through successive ATRP reactions. A microbial rhodopsin from <i>Haloquadratum walsbyi</i> was reconstituted into the fluid bilayer to assess the effects of polymer brushes on the model membrane and incorporated proteins. The combination of micropatterned bilayer and polymer brush is an important step toward a model membrane that can mimic the two-dimensional and three-dimensional structures of the biological membrane, enabling to incorporate and assay membrane proteins in a truly biomimetic environment.

Hybrid model membrane combining micropatterned lipid bilayer and hydrophilic polymer brush

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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