Changes in the Morphology of Giant Vesicles

Changes in the Morphology of Giant Vesicles Under Various Physicochemical Stresses, 6, 341. 

Bilayer lipid structures are known to transform between a variety of morphologies. These transformations are controlled by the geometry or the chemistry of the molecular structures and by the presence of external stimuli. Giant vesicles, in the form of spherical lipid bilayers, are used as simplified models of biological cells. Their in vitro study using optical microscopy allows their responses to be observed when exposed to stresses such as temperature changes, UV irradiation, electric or osmotic shocks, or the addition of an external agent, such as amphiphilic polymers. 

The above morphological changes induced by SMase are clearly distinct from the previously reported effects of another lipolytic enzyme, phospholipase A2. In brief, subjecting l-paImitoyl-2-oleoyl-phosphatidylcholine (POPC) giant liposomes to either external or internal action of PLA2 causes these vesicles to burst and shrink, respectively [43]. These authors also showed that vesicle morphology is not altered by lysozyme, protein having no enzymatic activity towards the bilayer. 

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