Quantitative analysis of tethered vesicle assemblies by quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring: Binding dynamics and bound water content

To implement the molecular recognition properties of membrane proteins for applications including biosensors and diagnostic arrays, the construction of a biomimetic platform capable of maintaining protein structure and function is required. In this paper, we describe a tethered phospholipid vesicle assembly that overcomes the major limitations of planar supported lipid bilayers and alternative biomimetic membrane platforms and characterize it using quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D) and fluorescence microscopy. We provide evidence of a one-step mechanism for bilayer formation and monitor the subsequent adsorption and binding of streptavidin, vesicles, and streptavidin-coated microspheres. For all three species, we identify a critical surface density above which a significant amount of coupled interstitial water contributes to the response of the quartz resonator in a phenomenon similar to dynamic coupling due to surface roughness. A Sauerbrey-type analysis is sufficient to accurately interpret the QCM-D results for streptavidin binding if water is treated as an additional inertial mass, but viscoelastic models must be invoked for vesicle and microsphere binding. Additionally, we present evidence of vesicle flattening, possibly enhanced by a biotin-mediated membrane-membrane interaction.