1. A Continuous Network of Lipid Nanotubes Fabricatedfrom the Gliding Motility of Kinesin Powered Microtubule Filaments.
- Author
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Bouxsein, Nathan F., Carroll-Portillo, Amanda, Bachand, Marlene, Sasaki, Darryl Y., and Bachand, George D.
- Subjects
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LIPID nanotubes , *MICROFABRICATION , *KINESIN , *MICROTUBULES , *SURFACES (Technology) , *QUANTUM dots - Abstract
Synthetic interconnected lipid nanotubenetworks were fabricatedon the millimeter scale based on the simple, cooperative interactionbetween phospholipid vesicles and kinesin–microtubule (MT)transport systems. More specifically, taxol-stabilized MTs, in constant2D motion via surface absorbed kinesin, extracted and extended lipidnanotube networks from large Lαphase multilamellarliposomes (5–25 μm). Based on the properties of the invertedmotility geometry, the total size of these nanofluidic networks waslimited by MT surface density, molecular motor energy source (ATP),and total amount and physical properties of lipid source material.Interactions between MTs and extended lipid nanotubes resulted inbifurcation of the nanotubes and ultimately the generation of highlybranched networks of fluidically connected nanotubes. The networkbifurcation was easily tuned by changing the density of microtubuleson the surface to increase or decrease the frequency of branching.The ability of these networks to capture nanomaterials at the membranesurface with high fidelity was subsequently demonstrated using quantumdots as a model system. The diffusive transport of quantum dots wasalso characterized with respect to using these nanotube networks formass transport applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2013
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