Preparation of a Supported Lipid Bilayer for Atomic Force Microscopy Studies.
Paul Chung and Mui Sam 
Faculty Advisor: Phoebe Dea, Michael Hill & Tetsuo Otsuki

     A supported phospholipid bilayer is prepared to study the pore channels of imbedded gramicidin, a protein involved in the transport of cations. The phospholipid bilayer is electrostatically bound to Poly-L-lysine and studied using atomic force microscopy (AFM). To form a Poly-L-lysine layer, 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid (MUA) is chemisorbed onto Au (111). The carboxylic acid moiety of MUA is then activated by 1-ethyl-3-[3-(dimethylamino)propyl] carbodiimide (or simply EDC) and reacted with Poly-L-lysine (PL). Finally, the PL is reacted with a phospholipid 1,2-Dimyristoyl-sn-Glycero-3-phosphate. Our hypothesis is that the lipid bilayer will adsorb to the PL layer through electrostatic attraction. AFM Characterization of this method and similar strategies will be assessed.