Evaluation of supported phospholipid bilayer persistance and mobility in cell culture

Paper in proceeding, 2007

The use of supported synthetic lipid membranes as cell culture substrates is an increasingly popular approach to investigate cell-molecular interactions, as well as to model cell-cell interactions in a controlled manner. Whilst unmodified phosphocholine (POPC) membranes are inert to protein adsorption and cell adhesion, they may be functionalised with ligands in order to present cells with specific cues for attachment, or for signalling of proliferation, differentiation, or apoptosis.
The present study is an assessment of supported POPC bilayers over 10 days in culture with adult rat-derived hippocampal progenitor (AHP) cells.
The aims were to (1) investigate stability, morphology and fluidity of the POPC membranes with or without the attachment-promoting IKVAV peptide, and (2) identify any interactions between the cells and the fluorescently labelled bilayer.