Skip to main content
. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2011 Jun 23.
Published in final edited form as: Curr Opin Biotechnol. 2010 Jun 18;21(4):439–476. doi: 10.1016/j.copbio.2010.05.002

Table 3.

Commonly applied model lipid membranes for reconstitution and application of biological pores in nanobiotechnology

Platform Description Illustration Typical Application
Supported Lipid Bilayer Bilayer supported on a solid substrate graphic file with name nihms301115t8.jpg Incorporation of biological pores changes the electrical impedance of the supported bilayers. Binding to these pores can be detected by additional changes in impedance.
Planar Lipid Bilayer Bilayer spanning a small pore between two aqueous solutions graphic file with name nihms301115t9.jpg Reconstitution of ion channel proteins or pore-forming peptides changes the ionic conductance across the bilayer. Ion currents through individual pores as well as changes in conductance due to the presence of analytes can be detected.
Liposomes Lipid bilayer vesicles suspended in aqueous solutions graphic file with name nihms301115t10.jpg Reconstitution of biological pores permeabilizes liposomal membranes; cargo molecules encapsulated inside the liposomes can be released through these pores.
Droplet Interface Bilayer Lipid bilayer formed at the interface of two aqueous droplets that are coated with a monolayer of lipids within an oil phase graphic file with name nihms301115t11.jpg Similar to planar lipid bilayers. Incorporation of biological pores changes the ionic conductance across the bilayer. Ionic currents through individual pores can be detected by inserting an electrode into each droplet.