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Development of cell scale biomimetic systems
MSC : Miglena Angelova, Nicolas Puff, Hélène Conjeaud, Michel Seigneuret.
Lateral compartimentation, ie. domain heterogeneity of the plasma membrane plays an essential role in control of membrane protein-protein interactions and have major consequences on cell morphogenesis, endo- and exocytosis, motility and adhesion phenomena as well as in many viral infection processes. One of the main factors underlying this heterogeneity is probably the occurrence of heterogenous lipid domains, in particular those enriched in cholesterol and sphingolipids, termed « rafts ». The cholesterol-sphingolipid interaction promotes the formation of a more ordered phase (lo) coexisting with a more disordered phase (ld), both phases being liquid-type. Numerous proteins yielding specific interactions with raft-type microdomains have recently beeen reported. Within this framework, our approach is to develop experimental model systems as well as theoretical models accounting for the membrane heterogenous structure and dynamics. Experimental approaches involve : giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) electroformation, preparation of large unilamellar vesicles (LUVs) by extrusion, optical microscopy (phase contrast, fluorescence, polarization, confocal), micropipette manipulation and microinjection. The theoretical approach involves classical aspects of membrane mechanics, as well as non-linear physics of instabilities (applied to transport phenomena under local gradients in non-equilibrium confined 2-dimensional media).
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ANGELOVA Miglena I., CONJEAUD Hélène, PUFF Nicolas, SEIGNEURET Michel
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