Label-free study of the function of ion channel protein on a microfluidic optical sensor integrated with artificial cell membrane

Lab Chip. 2014 Jan 21;14(2):333-41. doi: 10.1039/c3lc50937k. Epub 2013 Nov 15.

Abstract

A label-free optical sensor was constructed by integrating pH sensing material and supported phospholipid bilayers (SPBs) in a microfluidic chip. The pH sensing material was composed of a double layer structure consisting of chitosan hydrogel and electrochemically etched porous silicon. The pH change in the microchip could induce a reversible swelling of the chitosan hydrogel layer and consequently caused a shift in effective optical thickness (EOT) of the double layer, which could be observed by Fourier transformed reflectometric interference spectroscopy (FT-RIS). After phospholipid bilayers (PLBs) were self-assembled on the sensing layer, the EOT almost remained constant during the cycling of pH from 7.4 to 6.2, indicating the blockage of H(+) translocation by the PLBs. For studying the behavior of ion channel protein, gramicidin A, a typical ion channel protein, was inserted in the SPBs for mimicking the ion transportation function of cell membrane. Due to the H(+) transportation capability of gramicidin A, the optical response to pH change could partially recover. In the presence of Ca(2+), the pore of the ion channel protein was blocked, causing a significant decrease in the EOT response upon pH change. The bio-functionalized microfluidic sensor fabricated in this work will provide a reliable platform for studying the function of ion channel protein, which is an important class of drug targets.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Cell Membrane*
  • Hydrogels
  • Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
  • Ion Channels / physiology*
  • Lipid Bilayers
  • Microfluidic Analytical Techniques*
  • Optics and Photonics*
  • Phospholipids / chemistry

Substances

  • Hydrogels
  • Ion Channels
  • Lipid Bilayers
  • Phospholipids