Development of cationic liposomes to transfer proteins between membranes
The overall goal of this thesis work has been the construction of liposomes that can be used to deliver biologically active molecules efficiently into the plasma membranes of animal cells in tissue culture. In an initial series of studies, we examined how various mixtures of neutral lipids commonly...
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| Format: | Others |
| Language: | en |
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McGill University
1988
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| Online Access: | http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=42319 |
| Summary: | The overall goal of this thesis work has been the construction of liposomes that can be used to deliver biologically active molecules efficiently into the plasma membranes of animal cells in tissue culture. In an initial series of studies, we examined how various mixtures of neutral lipids commonly used in reconstitutions of membrane proteins (phosphatidylcholine [PC], sphingomyelin, phosphatidylethanolamine [PE] and cholesterol) influence the divalent cation- and polyethyleneglycol (PEG)-mediated interactions of lipid bilayer membranes. The major novel findings from these studies were: (1) that sphingomyelin inhibits vesicle aggregation and fusion even more severely than does phosphatidylcholine; (2) that cholesterol can significantly offset these inhibitory effects of choline phospholipids when present in equimolar or higher proportions with respect to these species; and (3) that the effects of different neutral lipids on PEG-mediated interactions between lipid membranes are quite similar to the effects of these species on the divalent cation-mediated interactions of negatively charged lipid vesicles. |
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