Construction lipid nanotubes for control of cellular functions

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 23681021
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (A)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: Nanomaterials/Nanobioscience
• Research Institution: Kyoto University (2012-2014); Tokyo Medical and Dental University (2011)
• Principal Investigator: SASAKI Yoshihiro 京都大学, 工学(系)研究科(研究院), 准教授 (90314541)
• Project Period (FY): 2011-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 脂質ナノチューブ / ナノ粒子 / 細胞間コミュニケーション / 人工細胞膜 / リポソーム

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Lipid nanotubes are nanoscale cylindrical objects formed with lipid bilayer membranes and have attracted remarkable attention due to their applications in biotechnology and nanotechnology. Biological lipid nanotubes, known as tunneling nanotubes, that connect biological cells over a long distance were recently investigated as a new cell-to-cell communication system. Here, novel methods were established to prepare tailor-made lipid nanotubes, which can be used to transport biological molecules and incorporate membrane proteins. By applying various external stimuli including electric and magnetic field to immobilized liposomes, we obtained long range membrane-bound lipid nanotubes arranged in a well-controlled direction. The lipid membrane engineering provides a novel and facile fabrication strategy for liposomal network array inter-connected via the lipid nanotubes.

Free Research Field

生体関連高分子化学