Shunsuke Shimobayashi

Direct observations of transition dynamics from macro- to micro-phase separation in asymmetric lipid bilayers induced by externally added glycolipids

We present the first direct observations of morphological transitions from macro- to micro-phase separation using micrometer-sized asymmetric lipid vesicles exposed to externally added glycolipids (GM1:monosialotetrahexosylganglioside). The transition occurs via an intermediate stripe morphology state. During the transition, monodisperse micro-domains emerge through repeated scission events of the stripe domains. Moreover, we numerically confirmed such transitions using a time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau model, which describes both the intramembrane phase separation and the bending elastic membrane. The experimental and simulation results are in quantitative agreement.

Probability of double-strand breaks in genome-sized DNA by γ-ray decreases markedly as the DNA concentration increases.

By use of the single-molecule observation, we count the number of DNA double-strand breaks caused by γ-ray irradiation with genome-sized DNA molecules (166 kbp). We find that P1, the number of double-strand breaks (DSBs) per base pair per unit Gy, is nearly inversely proportional to the DNA concentration above a certain threshold DNA concentration. The inverse relationship implies that the total number of DSBs remains essentially constant. We give a theoretical interpretation of our experimental results in terms of attack of reactive species upon DNA molecules, indicating the significance of the characteristics of genome-sized giant DNA as semiflexible polymers for the efficiency of DSBs.

Emergence of DNA-encapsulating liposomes from a DNA-lipid blend film.

Spontaneous generation of DNA-enclosing liposomes from a DNA-lipid blend film is investigated. The special properties of the lipid vesicles, namely, micrometer size, unilamellarity, and dense polymer encapsulation acquired by the dehydration-rehydration process, are physicochemically revealed. We found that the formation of giant unilamellar vesicles encapsulating DNAs are governed by micropatterns of the films, such as dots and network patterns. From the results, we proposed a plausible physical mechanism for the dehydration-rehydration process, making it possible to optimize the encapsulation of any agent.