Micro-motors: A motile bacteria based system for liposome cargo transport

• DOI: 10.1038/srep29369
• Publication Date: 2016-07-05T09:23:27Z
• Authors: Navneet Dogra; Hadi Izadi; T. Kyle Vanderlick
• Keywords: 0303 health sciences; 03 medical and health sciences; Bacteria; Lipid Bilayers; Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer; Biological Transport; Bacterial Physiological Phenomena; Article; Unilamellar Liposomes

Abstract Biological micro-motors (microorganisms) have potential applications in energy utilization and nanotechnology. However, harnessing the power generated by such motors to execute desired work is extremely difficult. Here, we employ of motile bacteria transport small, large giant unilamellar vesicles (SUVs, LUVs GUVs). Furthermore, demonstrate bacteria–bilayer interactions probing glycolipids inside model membrane scaffold. Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) spectroscopic microscopic methods were utilized for understanding these interactions. We found that could successfully propel SUVs with a velocity 28 μm s −1 13 , respectively. GUVs, however, displayed Brownian motion not be propelled attached bacteria. Bacterial decreased larger loaded cargo, which agrees our calculations swimming at low Reynolds number.