Figure 3.

Inside-out inversion of a liposome. (A) A sequence of photographs showing a liposome (PC: DMTAP) undergoing inside-out inversion in the presence of hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (HTAB). (B) Stepwise shrinkage of a liposome (PC: DMTAP) that is repeating an inside-out inversion in the presence of HTAB. Open circles show the time course for the decreasing diameter of a liposome (shown in the photographic sequence). The diameter decreased only after each inside-out inversion (I) and kept nearly constant during the tense state (T). The time required for an inversion is obtained from the gap between the two dotted lines. (C) A model for the inside-out inversion process of a liposome. (Bars = 5 μm.)