Biosensors from Membrane Proteins Reconstituted in Polymerized Lipid Bilayers.
Abstract
It is an object of the present invention to provide a polymerized lipid membrane which extends the longevity and durability of lipid bilayers used in bioensors. It is another object of this invention to provide a device which is portable and can be used in the field. Another object of the present invention is to provide a quick and easy method for producing rugged biochemical sensors. These and other objects are achieved by extracting membrane proteins from biological cells, reincorporating the proteins into a lipid bilayer contacting the bilayer, containing the membrane proteins with the environment containing the stimulus, and measuring the change in voltage or conductivity across the bilayer. The voltage or conductivity change indicates the presence of the stimulus and the magnitude of the voltage or conductivity change indicates the amount of the stimulus present. The polymerized lipid membrane provides a rugged support for the proteins that function to sense molecules in the external environment. The acetylcholine receptor protein is purified by affinity chromatogrpahy reincorporated into lipid vesicles of polymerized lipids, and mounted on a glass microelectrode to produce a lipid bilayer containing the reincorporated proteins. One electrode from the silver-silver chloride pair is mounted on each side of the bilayer. The electrodes can measure the change in current across the bilayer when the acetylcholine receptor protein is effected by cholinergic agonists.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 23, 1985
- Accession Number
- ADD012160
Entities
People
- Paul Yager
Organizations
- United States Department of the Navy