Direct visualization of dispersed lipid bicontinuous cubic phases by cryo-electron tomography

Article Article scientifique Article Direct visualization of dispersed lipid bicontinuous cubic phases by cryo-electron tomography eng 2015-11-17 2015-11-17 author Demurtas Davide author Guichard Paul 0000-0002-0363-1049 845268 Département de biologie moléculaire et cellulaire (MOCEL) author Martiel Isabelle 0000-0003-1318-3830 author Mezzenga Raffaele author Belmont-Hebert Cécile 98342 author Sagalowicz Laurent 1-8 8915 10.1038/ncomms9915 26573367 2041-1723 PMC4660369 https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms9915 <p>Bulk and dispersed cubic liquid crystalline phases (cubosomes), present in the body and in living cell membranes, are believed to play an essential role in biological phenomena. Moreover, their biocompatibility is attractive for nutrient or drug delivery system applications. Here the three-dimensional organization of dispersed cubic lipid self-assembled phases is fully revealed by cryo-electron tomography and compared with simulated structures. It is demonstrated that the interior is constituted of a perfect bicontinuous cubic phase, while the outside shows interlamellar attachments, which represent a transition state between the liquid crystalline interior phase and the outside vesicular structure. Therefore, compositional gradients within cubosomes are inferred, with a lipid bilayer separating at least one water channel set from the external aqueous phase. This is crucial to understand and enhance controlled release of target molecules and calls for a revision of postulated transport mechanisms from cubosomes to the aqueous phase.</p> true Nature communications 6 1 d556bf20-c63b-4740-99d3-52627a731015 Article (Published version) Public Article-scientifique-from-unpaywall.pdf 2219668 application/pdf CC BY-4.0 bea7442da708c31eb4728279613f91935bba33511e5f45ea2cb4992243a4c41b openAccess

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Direct visualization of dispersed lipid bicontinuous cubic phases by cryo-electron tomography	Nature communications			2015	68	45

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Belmont-Hebert, Cécile