Proceedings

EPJ E Highlight - Ion adsorption matter in biology

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New systematic study of the electrical properties of model lipid membranes could improve our understanding of biological cells and opens new possibilities for medical diagnostics

Biological membranes are mainly composed of lipid bilayers. Gaining a better understanding of adsorption of solution ions onto lipid membranes helps clarify functional processes in biological cells. Now, a new study provides a quantitative description of the equilibria between lipid membranes and surrounding solution ions. Joanna Kotyńska and Zbigniew Figaszewski from the University of Bialystok, Poland, are the authors of a study describing these findings, just published in EPJ E. In addition to shedding some light on biological processes, these results could also have implications for, among other things, the future development of medical diagnostics.

In the study the authors used liposomes, which are spherical vesicles with membranes consisting of lipid bilayers encapsulating water-based media. These are a popular model system for biological membrane studies because the liposome membrane composition can be easily varied. The focus of the study is the adsorption of solutions ions onto liposomal membranes. The adsorption process modulates a range of the membranes’ physicochemical and electrical characteristics. It is therefore important in multiple processes involving membranes in the living cell such as, for example, in the membrane transport mechanism. Using a technique called microelectrophoresis, the authors observed changes in the membrane electric charge caused by the adsorption of ions such as sodium, chloride, hydrogen and hydroxide.

Based on experimental results, Kotyńska and her colleague developed a theoretical model of interactions between these ions and liposomal membrane surfaces. They subsequently verified this model experimentally. They then determined the association constants characterising the membranes’ functional groups interaction with ions. By defining the value of these parameters they were able to calculate model curves. This, in turn, enabled them to validate their model by comparing model curves with experimental data.

This was our first experience of publishing with EPJ Web of Conferences. We contacted the publisher in the middle of September, just one month prior to the Conference, but everything went through smoothly. We have had published MNPS Proceedings with different publishers in the past, and would like to tell that the EPJ Web of Conferences team was probably the best, very quick, helpful and interactive. Typically, we were getting responses from EPJ Web of Conferences team within less than an hour and have had help at every production stage.
We are very thankful to Solange Guenot, Web of Conferences Publishing Editor, and Isabelle Houlbert, Web of Conferences Production Editor, for their support. These ladies are top-level professionals, who made a great contribution to the success of this issue. We are fully satisfied with the publication of the Conference Proceedings and are looking forward to further cooperation. The publication was very fast, easy and of high quality. My colleagues and I strongly recommend EPJ Web of Conferences to anyone, who is interested in quick high-quality publication of conference proceedings.

On behalf of the Organizing and Program Committees and Editorial Team of MNPS-2019, Dr. Alexey B. Nadykto, Moscow State Technological University “STANKIN”, Moscow, Russia. EPJ Web of Conferences vol. 224 (2019)

ISSN: 2100-014X (Electronic Edition)

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