Box 1: Contour of a prolate vesicle (click on the image for a movie of a fluctuating vesicle)

Membranes and Amphiphilic Molecules              We studied the interaction of various molecules (e.g. CiEj) with model membranes. A convenient technique for the purpose is Isothermal Titration Calorimetry which is able to provide a value for the strength of interaction (i.e. enthalpy) of the molecules with the membrane, and the degree, to which the molecules partition in the vesicle membrane (partition coefficient i.e. molecules-to-lipid ratio). When adsorbing at the lipid membrane, the molecules change it's elasticity. Information about the flexibility of the membranes is obtained  by analyzing the membrane fluctuations, see Box 1 (Ref: Döbereiner et al., Phys. Rev. E 55, 4458, 1997). Above certain concentrations CiEj induces budding of the vesicle, see the movie in Box 2.               Our results are summarized in a poster presented at the 3-rd European Biophysics Congress, Munich, Germany, September 2000.   back to research topics

Box 2: The presence of C10E13 induces vesicle budding (click on the image for a movie)