The studies presented in this thesis focus on the synthesis of air-stable solid
supported lipid bilayers by anhydrobiotic mechanisms. Supported lipid bilayers (SLBs)
serve as platforms that mimic cellular membrane surfaces in appearance and behavior.
One of the most attractive aspects of the SLB is that it exhibits two-dimensional fluidity
that allows for individual components to rearrange as they would in actual cellular
membranes. The one thing that would allow the SLB to become an ideal biosensor is the
ability to remain stable in the absence of bulk water. As it stands now, unprotected
SLBs are unstable in the presence of air causing the membrane to rearrange and
delaminate from the surface.
Several biological organisms utilize the process of anhydrobiosis to persevere in
severe dehydrated states. Anhydrobiosis occurs when organisms employ large amounts
of sugars, particularly disaccharides, to protect their cell membranes. The sugars, often
released as a stress response, protect the membrane by replacing the water around the
lipid headgroups while also interacting with other sugars to form a glass atop the bilayer. One of the most successful anhydrobiotic sugars has been trehalose, although other
sugars have been evaluated and are capable of protecting lipid bilayers minimally.
The experimental section of this thesis involves the creation of SLBs that are
examined with and without the presence of sugar molecules. Essentially, the SLB was
created, exposed to sugar solutions, dried, and subsequently rehydrated. Successful
experiments occurred when rehydrated bilayers exhibited little damage and were mobile
and functional. In addition to trehalose, several other mono- and disaccharides were
used as were glycolipids, lipids with sugar headgroups. Upon the completion of all
experiments it was clear that trehalose afforded the most protection of all species tested
and that glycolipids do not sufficiently protect the membrane during rehydration.
Therefore, the addition of a sugar such as trehalose to an SLB could allow for the
creation of an air-stable biosensor that would be both practical and require little
maintenance.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:tamu.edu/oai:repository.tamu.edu:1969.1/5903 |
| Date | 17 September 2007 |
| Creators | Chapa, Vanessa Alyss |
| Contributors | Cremer, Paul S. |
| Publisher | Texas A&M University |
| Source Sets | Texas A and M University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Book, Thesis, Electronic Thesis, text |
| Format | 1255335 bytes, electronic, application/pdf, born digital |
Page generated in 0.0024 seconds