Osmotic swelling of phospholipid vesicles causes them to fuse with a planar phospholipid bilayer membrane

Fredric S. Cohen, Myles H. Akabas, Alan Finkelstein

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

110 Scopus citations

Abstract

Fusion of phospholipid vesicles with planar bilayer membranes occurs if the vesicles that contact the planar membrane swell osmotically after the replacement in their medium of an impermeant solute by a permeant one. This finding directly demonstrates that osmotic swelling is a driving force for vesicle-planar membrane fusion. The method used to induce vesicle swelling and fusion may have relevance for biological systems.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)458-460
Number of pages3
JournalScience
Volume217
Issue number4558
DOIs
StatePublished - 1982

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Osmotic swelling of phospholipid vesicles causes them to fuse with a planar phospholipid bilayer membrane'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this