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Studying Lipid Organization in Biological Membranes Using Liposomes and EPR Spin Labeling

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Liposomes

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology™ ((MIMB,volume 606))

Abstract

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spin-labeling methods provide a unique opportunity to determine the lateral organization of lipid bilayer membranes by discrimination of coexisting membrane domains or coexisting membrane phases. In some cases, coexisting membrane domains can be characterized without the need for their physical separation by profiles of alkyl chain order, fluidity, hydrophobicity, and oxygen diffusion-concentration product in situ. This chapter briefly explains how EPR spin-labeling methods can be used to obtain the above-mentioned profiles across lipid bilayer membranes (liposomes). These procedures will be illustrated by EPR measurements performed on multilamellar liposomes made of lipid extracts from cortical and nuclear fractions of the fiber cell plasma membrane of a cow-eye lens. To better elucidate the major factors that determine membrane properties, results for eye lens lipid membranes and simple model membranes that resemble the basic lipid composition of biological membranes will be compared.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by grants EY015526, EB002052, and EB001980 of the National Institutes of Health.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biophysics, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA

    Witold K. Subczynski & Marija Raguz

  2. Department of Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland

    Justyna Widomska

Authors
  1. Witold K. Subczynski
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  2. Marija Raguz
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  3. Justyna Widomska
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Witold K. Subczynski .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. College of Pharmacy, Midwestern University, N. 59th Avenue 19555, Glendale, 85308, U.S.A.

    Volkmar Weissig

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© 2010 Humana Press, a part of Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

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Subczynski, W.K., Raguz, M., Widomska, J. (2010). Studying Lipid Organization in Biological Membranes Using Liposomes and EPR Spin Labeling. In: Weissig, V. (eds) Liposomes. Methods in Molecular Biology™, vol 606. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-60761-447-0_18

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-60761-447-0_18

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  • Publisher Name: Humana Press

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-60761-446-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-60761-447-0

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