Journal of Nanomedicine & Nanotechnology

Tubulohelical membrane arrays: Novel cellular protein/lipid nanodevices with potentia biophotonic properties

3^rd International Conference on Nanotek & Expo

December 02-04, 2013 Hampton Inn Tropicana, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Siegfried Reipert

Accepted Abstracts: J Nanomed Nanotechnol

Abstract:

Complex 3D biophotonic crystal arrays are known for their potential to revolutionize optical communication and computation, but their fabrication is often technologically highly demanding. Therefore, one might consider learning from living cells that have internalized self-assembly of nanoperiodic 3D-arrays of lipid-phase dependent membranes as part of their life-organizing strategy. Elucidation of the formation and function of cellular arrays could inspire applications and technical routes towards the in vitro fabrication of 3D structures. We report on the discovery of cellular 3D-nanoarrays, which are by far more complex than isotropic, photonic properties possessing, ́cubic membranes ́. The so-called tubulohelical membrane arrays (TUHMAs) share their non-lamellar lipid membrane characteristics with ́cubic membranes ́. In striking sophistication, however, the TUHMAs are anisotropic; their lipid membranes are built around proteinaceous, nucleoporin-containing core tubules, which are confined by helix-like threads. Such presence of nucleoporins is remarkable, since they are otherwise known as stable constituents of nuclear and (cytoplasmic) annulate lamellae pore complexes. Initial observations in the epithelial cell line PtK2 indicate that anisotropic TUHMA structures arise indeed from unprecedented alterations of both lipid and nucleoporin conformation. The timing for the assembly of TUHMAs seems to be related to the cell- and ciliary cycle. The resulting single organelle-like entities in form of TUHMAs preferentially orientate themselves either in parallel or perpendicularly to the cell nucleus. Taken the structural and cellular characteristics together, TUHMAs are promising candidates for assessing possible biophotonic properties and functions in the context of living cells.

Biography :

Siegfried Reipert started his carrier as a physicist and electron microscopist in the field of material sciences in Berlin (Germany). In the nineteen?s, he changed his research area by completing his M.Sc. and Ph.D. in life sciences from the University of Manchester (UK). He has built up more than twenty years of experience in biological electron microscopy, inclusively of state-of-the-art cryopreparation techniques. Currently, he works as Assistant Professor in the Core Facility Cell Imaging and Ultrastructure Research (CIUS) at the University of Vienna (Austria). He is author and co- author of more than 40 peer-reviewed papers