January 2024

Micromanipulator of Giant Lipid Vesicles (GUVs) connected with a Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging confocal Microscope (FLIM) is in our lab. ‘Micropipetting’ GUVs is an innovative, highly promising method for studying lipid membranes in response to altered membrane mechanical properties such as membrane tension, bending rigidity or spontaneous curvature. It is based on capturing a single micrometer sized GUV with an aspiration micropipette and modulation of its mechanical properties by micromanipulation under a fluorescence microscope. Quantitative information on membrane tension and curvature is obtained by pulling out nanotubes of the aspirated GUVs by streptavidin beads with high affinity for the membrane. This step is followed by measuring the aspiration pressure, the radius of the vesicle as well as the radius of the micropipette. Apart from providing the means to evaluate the membrane bending rigidity and tension, tube pulling experiments also enable investigation of cellular processes that take place at highly curved regions of the membrane.