本文介绍了中子自旋回波(NSE)研究脂质膜的样品制备、数据约化和数据分析的实验方案。通过对脂质进行合理的氘代标记,可探测介观尺度的膜动力学行为,这些尺度正是重要生命过程发生的时间和空间范围。
本文介绍了中子自旋回波(NSE)研究脂质膜的样品制备、数据约化和数据分析的实验方案。通过对脂质进行合理的氘代标记,可探测介观尺度的膜动力学行为,这些尺度正是重要生命过程发生的时间和空间范围。
脂质双分子层构成了细胞膜的主要基质,是营养物质交换、蛋白质-膜 相互作用以及病毒出芽等其他重要细胞过程的主要平台。为了实现高效的生物学活性,细胞膜必须具有足够的刚性以维持细胞及其区室的完整性,同时又需具备足够的流动性,以允许膜组分(如蛋白质和功能结构域)扩散并相互作用。这种弹性与流动性的精细平衡及其对生物学功能的影响,要求我们更深入地理解在介观尺度长度和时间范围内的集体膜动力学,例如膜形变和蛋白质结合事件。在能够有效探测这一动态范围的技术中,中子自旋回波(NSE)光谱技术是其中之一。结合氘标记技术,NSE可用于直接探测弯曲和厚度涨落,以及特定膜特征的介观动力学。本文简要描述了NSE技术,并概述了在脂质体膜上进行NSE实验的步骤,包括样品制备和氘化方案的详细信息,以及数据采集与归约的指导说明。本文还介绍了用于提取关键膜参数的数据分析方法,例如弯曲刚度模量、面积可压缩模量和平面内黏度。为了说明NSE研究的生物学意义,本文讨论了NSE探测膜现象的若干典型实例,即添加剂对膜弯曲刚度的影响、结构域形成对膜涨落的影响,以及膜-蛋白质相互作用的动力学特征。
细胞膜及其功能的理解在过去几十年中取得了显著进展。过去认为细胞膜是被动的脂质双分子层,仅用于界定细胞边界并承载膜蛋白1 逐渐转变为一种动态模型,其中脂质双分子层在调控重要的生物过程(包括细胞信号传导、分子交换和蛋白质功能)中发挥着关键作用 — 仅举几例2,3,4,5,6细胞膜具有高度动态性,持续发生重塑和分子重分布,这一认识推动了科学界对膜结构的研究超越平衡态结构的探索7,8,9因此,已开发出多种方法用于研究生物及仿生脂质膜中的各种动态模式。迄今为止,大多数研究主要集中在分子的扩散运动上10,11,12,13 以及宏观形状涨落14,15,16,导致对中间尺度膜动力学的理解存在显著空白,即由数十至数百个脂质分子组成的脂质聚集体的集体涨落。这些动力学过程发生的长度尺度为几十至几百埃,时间尺度为亚纳秒至数百纳秒(参见 图1),这里称之为介观尺度。实际上,膜层面的关键生物活动正是发生在这些尺度上。17。这包括病毒出芽18通道门控19以及膜蛋白相互作用20还需要指出的是,膜蛋白的能量景观同样重要21,22 表明蛋白质的构象变化 — 发挥其调控作用所必需的 — 发生在纳秒时间尺度上23 集体膜波动的重要性,进一步强调了介观动力学在细胞膜及其仿生类似物生物学功能中的关键作用20本文聚焦于脂质膜的两种主要介观动态模式,即弯曲涨落和厚度涨落。
直接探测这些涨落模式的主要挑战在于,使用常规光谱学方法难以同时覆盖其空间和时间尺度。另一个挑战是,直接接触的技术可能会干扰其所要测量的涨落本身16。这一问题因生物膜在组成和结构上的复杂性而进一步加剧24,25,这种复杂性导致膜具有非均质的特征,包括脂质区域的形成26,27,28,29,30以及膜的不对称性31,32,33—因此需要选择性探针来理解不同膜特征的动力学行为。幸运的是,这些挑战可以通过非侵入性的中子散射技术(如中子自旋回波(NSE))加以克服,该方法天然地覆盖了所需的长度和时间尺度,并能够在不改变其物理化学环境的前提下,实现对特定膜特征的研究34。事实上,近年来NSE光谱技术已发展成为研究集体膜动力学的一种独特而强大的工具35。针对脂质膜的NSE研究结果,为脂质膜的力学36,37和黏弹性38,39特性提供了新的认识,并揭示了其在生物学功能中潜在作用的新线索40,41。
中子自旋回波(NSE)谱学技术基于一种干涉仪仪器设计,该设计最初由Mezei提出42,利用一系列自旋翻转器和磁线圈来控制中子通过仪器时其自旋的进动。该设计依赖于相对于样品位置对称分布的磁场元件(即磁镜结构)(图1A)。这意味着,当没有发生中子与样品之间的能量交换时,中子在仪器的前半段和后半段经历相同次数但方向相反的自旋进动(注意两个进动线圈之间有一个π翻转器)。因此,中子的最终自旋态相对于初始态保持不变——这一现象称为自旋回波(见图1A中透明的中子)。然而,当中子与样品发生能量交换时,这种相互作用会改变中子在仪器后半段的自旋进动次数,从而导致最终自旋态发生变化(见图1A)。实验上,这种变化表现为极化的损失,这一点将在本文后续部分展示。关于NSE技术的更多细节,读者可参考专门的技术文献42,43,44,45。
此处提供一个简化的描述,以粗略估计中子自旋回声(NSE)技术可达到的长度和时间尺度。长度尺度由可实现的波矢转移范围 Q = 4π sin θ/λ 决定,其中 2θ 为散射角,λ 为中子波长。可以看出,Q 取决于波长范围以及谱仪第二臂的旋转范围(见图1A)。典型的 NSE 谱仪 Q 范围约为 ~0.02–2 Å-146,47,近期升级后可达 ~0.01–4 Å-148,49,对应的空间尺度约为 ~1–600 Å。另一方面,可探测的时间尺度由中子在磁进动线圈内获得的总进动角(或相位)计算得出,其表达式为50:
。在此表达式中,t 是定义为
的傅里叶时间,其中
为中子的旋磁比,
为线圈长度,
为线圈磁场强度。值得指出的是,傅里叶时间是一个严格依赖于仪器几何结构、磁场强度和中子波长的量。例如,使用波长
= 8 Å 的中子,并设置仪器参数为
= 1.2 m 和
= 0.4 T 时,计算得到的傅里叶时间为 t ~ 50 ns。实验上,通过调节进动线圈中的电流(即磁场强度)或使用不同的中子波长来调节傅里叶时间,从而使 NSE 典型的时间尺度达到 ~1 ps 至 100 ns。然而,近期 NSE 谱仪的升级已实现了更长的傅里叶时间,在 Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum 的 J-NSE-Phoenix 谱仪上可达约 400 ns51,在橡树岭国家实验室的 SNS-NSE 谱仪上也达到类似水平48,而在法国劳厄-朗之万研究所(Institut Laue-Langevin, ILL)的 IN15 NSE 谱仪上甚至可达约 1,000 ns49。
除了能够直接获取膜动力学的长度和时间尺度信息外,中子自旋回声(NSE)还具有固有的中子同位素敏感性52特别是中子与氢元素的不同同位素发生相互作用的能力——氢是生物系统中最丰富的元素——导致中子散射长度密度的差异,34 或NSLD(等效于光学折射率)50),当氕被氘取代时,可采用一种称为对比度调节的方法,该方法常用于突出特定的膜结构特征或掩盖其他部分 — 后一种情况被称为对比度匹配。对比度变化/匹配的一个常见应用是用水(NSLD = -0.56 × 10-6 Å-2)通过重水或D2O(NSLD = 6.4 × 10-6 Å-2)以放大来自含氢脂质膜的中子信号(NSLD ~ 0 × 10-6 Å-2)。该方法在膜结构研究中具有很高的有效性,因为D的穿透能力2O进入膜的头部区域可准确测定膜的厚度(参见 图2A,左侧面板)以及应用更复杂模型时不同脂质亚类的位置分布53,54本文重点介绍了一些利用对比度变化研究仿生膜中集体动力学及特定膜特征的实例。
本文通过中子自旋回声(NSE)技术对模型脂质膜和具有生物学意义的脂质膜体系开展研究的具体实例,展示了NSE在揭示膜的动力学和功能特性方面所提供的独特见解,尤其侧重于以脂质体悬浮液形式存在的自由-standing膜的介观尺度动力学。关于膜面内动力学的NSE测量,读者可参考专门针对掠入射中子自旋回声谱学(GINSES)55,56 的出版物以及其他关于取向多层脂质膜堆叠体系的研究57,58,59,60。
为简化起见,本文以一种被广泛研究的、能够形成相分离结构的脂质双分子层体系为例,说明三种不同的膜氘化方案,该体系由1,2-二肉豆蔻酰-sn-甘油-3-磷酸胆碱(DMPC)和1,2-二硬脂酰-sn-甘油-3-磷酸胆碱(DSPC)混合物构成61,62。这两种脂质的烃链长度存在差异(DMPC为每条链14个碳原子,DSPC为每条链18个碳原子),且其凝胶-流体相变温度也不同(Tm, DMPC = 23 °C,Tm, DSPC = 55 °C)。因此,在混合物上下相变温度之间的温度范围内,DMPC:DSPC膜会发生横向相分离63。本文所考虑的氘化方案旨在展示在脂质体膜的中子自旋回声(NSE)测量中可探测的不同动力学模式,即弯曲涨落、厚度涨落,以及横向相区的特异性弯曲/厚度涨落。所有脂质组成均基于摩尔分数为70:30的DMPC:DSPC双分子层,使用市售的全氢化和全氘化DMPC与DSPC变体。所有样品制备均以4 mL重水(D2O)中的脂质体悬浮液为基础,脂质浓度为50 mg/mL,每份样品总脂质质量为Mtot = 200 mg。
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1. 实验所需的氘代方案
计算为133.4 mg,其中XDMPC和XDSPC分别为DMPC和DSPC的摩尔分数,在此分别设为0.7和0.3,MwDMPC和MwDSPC分别为677.9 g/mol和790.1 g/mol。类似地,mDSPC = 66.6 mg。该氘化方案可增强膜(NSLD ~ 0 × 10-6 Å-2)与氘化缓冲液(NSLD ~ 6.4 × 10-6 Å-2)之间的散射对比度,从而放大来自膜波动的信号(见图2A左图)。2. 挤出用脂质悬浮液的制备
其中 Mtot 为总质量,此处设为 200 mg。参见上述 DMPC-DSPC 脂质双层膜在不同氘化方案下的示例。3. 水合脂质溶液的挤出
4. 样品的中子自旋回声测量及所收集数据的处理


因此,中子与样品之间因能量交换导致的自旋态变化被检测为极化度的下降(从1开始降低)。5. 数据分析与解释

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通过中子自旋回声(NSE)研究膜弯曲涨落时,通常在约 (0.04 - 0.2) Å-1 的 Q 范围内进行。该 Q 范围对应于介于膜厚度与脂质体半径之间的中间长度尺度,此处弯曲动力学占主导地位。在更宽的 Q 范围内测量可揭示其他动态模式,包括脂质体扩散和膜内动力学。有关 NSE 可探测的膜动力学转变的更多细节,请参阅以下相关文献25,71。需要特别强调的是,NSE 信号与以下表达式成正比:
,其中 Icoh 和 Iinc 分别代表样品的相干散射强度和非相干散射强度。因此,建议将 NSE 脂质体样品制备在氘代缓冲液中(即使用 D2<...
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中子自旋回声(NSE)是一种在多种条件下测量脂质膜介观动力学的强大且独特的技术。NSE的有效应用取决于样品质量、中子对比度以及在给定样品中可探测的动力学范围。因此,要成功进行NSE实验并采集高质量数据,必须完成若干关键步骤。在NSE实验前,使用实验室常规方法对脂质体悬浮液进行表征,是确保中子束时间高效利用的关键步骤。例如,通过动态光散射(DLS)可测定挤出法制备的脂质体的粒径分布(或扩散系数),该方法在各实验室或共享平台中普遍可用84。冷冻电子显微镜是近年来在脂质体样品上得到验证的另一种表征方法,通过获取脂质体悬浮液冷冻超薄切片的高分辨率显微图像,可有效评估脂质体的单层结构65、结构域形成85,86,或添加剂(如纳米颗粒76和蛋白质87)的掺入情况。此外,小角X射线散射(SAXS)也可用于表征膜结构
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作者声明无利益冲突,无可披露内容。
R. Ashkar 感谢 M. Nagao、L.-R. Stingaciu 和 P. Zolnierczuk 提供了许多有益的讨论,以及在他们各自束线上的中子自旋回波实验中给予的频繁协助。作者承认使用了美国国家标准与技术研究院(NIST)和美国橡树岭国家实验室(ORNL)的中子自旋回波谱仪。NIST 的中子自旋回波谱仪由高分辨率中子散射中心资助,该中心是美国国家标准与技术研究院与美国国家科学基金会根据协议号 DMR-1508249 建立的合作项目。ORNL 散裂中子源的中子自旋回波谱仪由美国能源部基础能源科学办公室下属的科学用户设施部门资助。橡树岭国家实验室由 UT-Battelle, LLC 根据美国能源部合同号 DE-AC05-00OR22725 进行管理。
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| 姓名 | 公司 | 目录编号 | 评论 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 氯仿(生物技术级) | Sigma Aldrich | 496189 | 生物技术级,≥99.8%,含0.5-1.0%乙醇作为稳定剂 |
| 循环水浴锅 | Julabo | SE-12 | 带智能泵的加热循环器,可编程温度设置,并配有外部传感器接口用于测量与控制 |
| 氧化氘 | Cambridge Isotopes Laboratories | DLM-4 | 氘代水;重水(D2O)(D,99.9%) |
| 数字半微量天平 | Mettler Toledo | MS105 | 半微量天平,量程120 g,可读性0.01 mg,配备高分辨率称重传感器、符合人体工学的门设计以及移液器校验功能 |
| 乙醇(分子生物学级) | Sigma Aldrich | E7023 | 200 proof乙醇,适用于分子生物学应用 |
| 玻璃移液管 | VWR | 36360-536 | 一次性钠钙玻璃巴斯德移液管 |
| 玻璃小瓶 | Thermo Scientific | B7990-1 | 硼硅酸盐玻璃小瓶,配有PTFE/硅胶隔垫盖 |
| 实验室级冷冻柜 | Fisher Scientific | IU2886D | 超低温冷冻柜(-86 至 -50 °C),用于脂质和蛋白质的长期储存 |
| 脂质(部分氘代或全氘代) | Avanti Polar Lipids | 根据脂质种类而定 | 脂质可从Avanti公司购买粉末形式或氯仿溶液形式,可根据需要选择特定含量和氘代模式 |
| Millipore纯水器 | Millipore Sigma | ZRQSVP3US | Direct-Q® 3 UV纯水系统,内置紫外灯,可提供纯水和超纯水,降低有机物含量,适用于生物 应用 |
| 小型挤出器套装 | Avanti Polar Lipids | 610020 | 小型挤出器套装包括小型挤出器、加热模块、2支气密型注射器、2个O型圈、聚碳酸酯膜和滤膜支撑装置 |
| 快接接头 | Grainger | 2YDA1 和 2YDA7 | 按钮式管路接头,适用于QuickConnect水循环应用,例如高温囊泡挤出 |
| 注射泵 | SyringePump.com | New Era-1000 | 完全可编程注射泵,支持注入和回吸操作;可设置多达41个泵送阶段,调节泵送速率、分配体积和挤出循环次数 |
| 超声波清洗仪 | Fisher Scientific | CPX2800 | 温度可控的超声波清洗仪,具备可编程功能,适用于脱气和超声处理 |
| 真空烘箱 | Thermo Scientific | 3608 | 0.7立方英尺真空烘箱,内置高温限温器,防止过热 |
| 涡旋混合器 | Fisher Scientific | 02-215-414 | 可变转速模拟控制,支持低转速启动以实现温和振荡,或高速混合以实现样品的剧烈涡旋 |
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申请许可以重复使用本 JoVE 文章的文本或图表
申请许可An erratum was issued for: Neutron Spin Echo Spectroscopy as a Unique Probe for Lipid Membrane Dynamics and Membrane-Protein Interactions. The Introduction, Protocol, and Representative Results sections have been updated.
In the Introduction, the fith pargraph was updated from:
Besides direct access to the length and time scale of membrane dynamics, NSE has the inherent capabilities of neutron isotope sensitivity52. Specifically, the ability of neutrons to interact differently with the isotopes of hydrogen, the most abundant element in biological systems, results in a different neutron scattering length density,34 or NSLD (the equivalent of the optical index of refraction50), when protium is substituted by deuterium. This enables an approach known as contrast variation, which is commonly used to highlight specific membrane features or conceal others — the latter scenario is referred to as contrast matching. A frequent application of contrast variation/matching is the substitution of water (NSLD = -0.56 × 10-6 Å-2) by heavy water or D2O (NSLD = 6.4 × 10-6 Å-2) to amplify the neutron signal from protiated lipid membranes (NSLD ~ 2 × 10-6 Å-2). This approach is highly effective in studies of membrane structure because the penetration of D2O into the headgroup region of the membrane allows accurate determination of the membrane thicknesses (see Figure 2A, left panel) and of the location of different lipid subgroups when more sophisticated models are applied53,54. This paper highlights some examples on the use of contrast variation for studies of collective dynamics in biomimetic membranes and select membrane features.
to:
Besides direct access to the length and time scale of membrane dynamics, NSE has the inherent capabilities of neutron isotope sensitivity52. Specifically, the ability of neutrons to interact differently with the isotopes of hydrogen, the most abundant element in biological systems, results in a different neutron scattering length density,34 or NSLD (the equivalent of the optical index of refraction50), when protium is substituted by deuterium. This enables an approach known as contrast variation, which is commonly used to highlight specific membrane features or conceal others — the latter scenario is referred to as contrast matching. A frequent application of contrast variation/matching is the substitution of water (NSLD = -0.56 × 10-6 Å-2) by heavy water or D2O (NSLD = 6.4 × 10-6 Å-2) to amplify the neutron signal from protiated lipid membranes (NSLD ~ 0 × 10-6 Å-2). This approach is highly effective in studies of membrane structure because the penetration of D2O into the headgroup region of the membrane allows accurate determination of the membrane thicknesses (see Figure 2A, left panel) and of the location of different lipid subgroups when more sophisticated models are applied53,54. This paper highlights some examples on the use of contrast variation for studies of collective dynamics in biomimetic membranes and select membrane features.
In the Protocol, step 1.1 was updated from:
For bending fluctuation measurements, make fully protiated liposomes in D2O (D 99.9%) or D2O-buffer (e.g., phosphate buffer prepared with D2O instead of H2O). Use fully protiated DMPC (C36H72NO8P) and DSPC (C44H88NO8P) with
133.4 mg, where XDMPC and XDSPC are the mole fractions of DMPC and DSPC, here set to 0.7 and 0.3, respectively, and MwDMPC and MwDSPC are the molar weights given by 677.9 g/mol and 790.1 g/mol, respectively. Similarly, mDSPC = 66.6 mg. This deuteration scheme increases the scattering contrast between the membrane (NSLD ~ 2 × 10-6 Å-2) and the deuterated buffer (NSLD ~ 6.4 × 10-6 Å-2) and amplifies the signal from membrane undulations (see Figure 2A left panel).
to:
For bending fluctuation measurements, make fully protiated liposomes in D2O (D 99.9%) or D2O-buffer (e.g., phosphate buffer prepared with D2O instead of H2O). Use fully protiated DMPC (C36H72NO8P) and DSPC (C44H88NO8P) with
133.4 mg, where XDMPC and XDSPC are the mole fractions of DMPC and DSPC, here set to 0.7 and 0.3, respectively, and MwDMPC and MwDSPC are the molar weights given by 677.9 g/mol and 790.1 g/mol, respectively. Similarly, mDSPC = 66.6 mg. This deuteration scheme increases the scattering contrast between the membrane (NSLD ~ 0 × 10-6 Å-2) and the deuterated buffer (NSLD ~ 6.4 × 10-6 Å-2) and amplifies the signal from membrane undulations (see Figure 2A left panel).
In the Representative Results, the fist pagargaph was updted from:
NSE studies accessing bending fluctuations are typically performed over a Q-range of ~ (0.04 - 0.2) Å-1. This Q-range corresponds to intermediate length scales between the membrane thickness and the liposomal radius, where bending dynamics dominate. Measurement over an extended Q-range can give access to additional dynamic modes, including liposomal diffusion and intramembrane dynamics. For more details on the cross-over in membrane dynamics accessed by NSE, check these relevant publications25,71. It is important to emphasize that NSE signals are proportional to:
, where Icoh and Iinc are, respectively, the coherent and incoherent scattering intensity from the sample. Therefore, it is advisable to prepare NSE liposomal samples in deuterated buffers (i.e., buffers prepared with D2O instead of H2O) to minimize the incoherent scattering signal, mainly contributed by the hydrogen content of the sample. However, in some cases intermediate deuteration schemes (i.e., using mixtures of D2O and H2O) might be necessary to obtain optimal contrast conditions. Typically, NSE measurements of membrane bending fluctuations are performed on fully protiated liposomes in deuterated buffer, referred to as fully contrasted liposomes in Figure 5. This deuteration scheme results in a large NSLD difference between the membrane core (~2 × 10-6 Å-2) and its deuterated fluid environment (~6.4 × 10-6 Å-2), which significantly enhances the scattering signal from the liposomal membranes and improves the measurement statistics of bending dynamics. This contrast scheme (Figure 2A left panel) is frequently utilized in studies of bending rigidity of lipid membranes with single38,72 and multiple39,66 lipid components and in studies of membrane softening/stiffening by biological inclusions (e.g., cholesterol, drug molecules, peptides/proteins)36,37,73,74,75, and synthetic additives (e.g., nanoparticles)76,77.
to:
NSE studies accessing bending fluctuations are typically performed over a Q-range of ~ (0.04 - 0.2) Å-1. This Q-range corresponds to intermediate length scales between the membrane thickness and the liposomal radius, where bending dynamics dominate. Measurement over an extended Q-range can give access to additional dynamic modes, including liposomal diffusion and intramembrane dynamics. For more details on the cross-over in membrane dynamics accessed by NSE, check these relevant publications25,71. It is important to emphasize that NSE signals are proportional to:
, where Icoh and Iinc are, respectively, the coherent and incoherent scattering intensity from the sample. Therefore, it is advisable to prepare NSE liposomal samples in deuterated buffers (i.e., buffers prepared with D2O instead of H2O) to minimize the incoherent scattering signal, mainly contributed by the hydrogen content of the sample. However, in some cases intermediate deuteration schemes (i.e., using mixtures of D2O and H2O) might be necessary to obtain optimal contrast conditions. Typically, NSE measurements of membrane bending fluctuations are performed on fully protiated liposomes in deuterated buffer, referred to as fully contrasted liposomes in Figure 5. This deuteration scheme results in a large NSLD difference between the membrane core (~0 × 10-6 Å-2) and its deuterated fluid environment (~6.4 × 10-6 Å-2), which significantly enhances the scattering signal from the liposomal membranes and improves the measurement statistics of bending dynamics. This contrast scheme (Figure 2A left panel) is frequently utilized in studies of bending rigidity of lipid membranes with single38,72 and multiple39,66 lipid components and in studies of membrane softening/stiffening by biological inclusions (e.g., cholesterol, drug molecules, peptides/proteins)36,37,73,74,75, and synthetic additives (e.g., nanoparticles)76,77.
In the Representative Reults, Figure 2 was updated from:

Figure 2: Examples of possible deuteration schemes in NSE experiments on lipid membranes. (A) Left: Fully contrasted membranes, e.g., protiated membranes in deuterated buffer, showing the NSLD profile along the normal to the membrane surface. The difference in the NSLD between the headgroup (~2 × 10-2 Å-2) and tail region (~4.5 × 10-6 Å-2) of the membrane is due to the headgroup hydration with deuterated buffer. Right: Tail-contrast matched membranes such that the hydrocarbon tail region of the membrane has the same NSLD as the buffer, as shown in the corresponding NSLD profile along the membrane normal. (B) Domain-forming membranes with two neutron contrast schemes where the domains (center) or the matrix (left) are contrast-matched to the buffer, enabling selective studies of matrix or domain dynamics, respectively. This figure has been modified from Nickels et al., JACS 201541. (C) Asymmetric membranes prepared by cyclodextrin exchange between protiated and deuterated lipid vesicles, resulting in the deuteration of one membrane leaflet while keeping the other leaflet protiated. This allows studies of the bending dynamics of the protiated leaflet and provides insights into the mechanical coupling between opposing leaflets in asymmetric membranes. This figure has been modified from Rickeard et al., Nanoscale 202040. Please click here to view a larger version of this figure.
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Figure 2: Examples of possible deuteration schemes in NSE experiments on lipid membranes. (A) Left: Fully contrasted membranes, e.g., protiated membranes in deuterated buffer, showing the NSLD profile along the normal to the membrane surface. The difference in the NSLD between the tail region (~0 × 10-2 Å-2) and headgroup region (~4.5 × 10-6 Å-2) of the membrane is due to the headgroup hydration with deuterated buffer. Right: Tail-contrast matched membranes such that the hydrocarbon tail region of the membrane has the same NSLD as the buffer, as shown in the corresponding NSLD profile along the membrane normal. (B) Domain-forming membranes with two neutron contrast schemes where the domains (center) or the matrix (left) are contrast-matched to the buffer, enabling selective studies of matrix or domain dynamics, respectively. This figure has been modified from Nickels et al., JACS 201541. (C) Asymmetric membranes prepared by cyclodextrin exchange between protiated and deuterated lipid vesicles, resulting in the deuteration of one membrane leaflet while keeping the other leaflet protiated. This allows studies of the bending dynamics of the protiated leaflet and provides insights into the mechanical coupling between opposing leaflets in asymmetric membranes. This figure has been modified from Rickeard et al., Nanoscale 202040. Please click here to view a larger version of this figure.