Current Activities
Our research group employs a variety of techniques from nonlinear optical spectroscopy to fluorescence microscopy for investigating planar lipid bilayers. Phospholipid bilayers, which are the basic unit of all cellular membranes, consist of two opposing leaflets of amphiphilic molecules. Bilayer materials can be deposited at the liquid-solid interface to form solid supported membranes that maintain two-dimensional fluidity. These systems are mimics of cell surfaces and represent the ideal geometry for designing sensors and screening assays because the membranes are confined to the surface and viruses, proteins, and chemical analytes can be passed over them in a standard flow cell geometry. Recently, we have used the techniques of microcapillary injection and photolithography to pattern membrane materials into sensor arrays with unique chemical activity at each surface address.
Chemically specific information on membrane dynamics and structure is obtained in our laboratories by using infrared-visible sum frequency generation (SFG). SFG, a surface specific vibrational spectroscopy, allows us to monitor and characterize membrane constituents and adsorbed components at surfaces and interfaces with molecular level detail. This is because the selection rules allow only surface species to be observed while those in bulk solution are completely ignored. Recent work has focused on dynamic processes that take place in solid supported membranes. Examples include the flippase induced transmembrane translocation of phospholipids and cholesterol-DLPC interactions
Selected Publications
"Hydrogen Bonding of β-Turn Structure is Stabilized in D2O" Younhee Cho, Laura B. Sagle, Satoshi Iimura, Yanjie Zhang, Jaibir Kherb, Ashutosh Chilkoti, J. Martin Scholtz, and Paul S. Cremer J. Am. Chem. Soc. 131 (2009) 15188-15193
"The Inverse and Direct Hofmeister Series for Lysozyme" Yanjie Zhang and Paul S. Cremer PNAS 106 (2009) 15249-15253
"Investigating the Hydrogen Bonding Model of Urea Denaturation" Laura B. Sagle, Yanjie Zhang, Vladislav A. Litosh, Xin Chen, Younhee Cho, and Paul S. Cremer J. Am. Chem. Soc. 131 (2009) 9304-9310
"Detecting Protein-Ligand Binding on Supported Bilayers by Local pH Modulation" Hyunsook Jung, Aaron D. Robison, and Paul S. Cremer J. Am. Chem. Soc. 131 (2009) 1006-1014
"Sub-100 nm Patterning of Supported Bilayers by Nanoshaving Lithography" Jinjun Shi, Jixin Chen, and Paul S. Cremer J. Am. Chem. Soc. 130 (2008) 2718-2719
"Urea Orientation at Protein Surfaces" Xin Chen, Laura B. Sagle, and Paul S. Cremer J. Am. Chem. Soc. 129 (2007) 15104-15105
"Specific Ion Effects on Interfacial Water Structure near Macromolecules" Xin Chen, Tinglu Yang, Sho Kataoka, and Paul S. Cremer J. Am. Chem. Soc. 129 (2007) 12272-12279
"Single Ion-Channel Recordings using Glass Nanopore Membranes" Ryan J. White, Eric N. Ervin, Tinglu Yang, Xin Chen, Susan Daniel, Paul S. Cremer, and Henry S. White J. Am. Chem. Soc. 129 (2007) 11766-11775
"Templating Water Stains for Nanolithography" Wei-Ssu Liao, Xin Chen, Jixin Chen, and Paul S. Cremer Nano Letters 7 (2007) 2452-2458
"The α,α-(1→1) Linkage of Trehalose is Key to Anhydrobiotic Preservation" Fernando Albertorio, Vanessa A. Chapa, Xin Chen, Arnaldo J. Diaz, and Paul S. Cremer J. Am. Chem. Soc. 129 (2007) 10567-10574
"Separation of Membrane-Bound Compounds by Solid-Supported Bilayer Electrophoresis" Susan Daniel, Arnaldo J. Diaz, Kelly M. Martinez, Bennie J Bench, Fernando Albertorio, and Paul S. Cremer J. Am. Chem. Soc. 129 (2007) 8072-8073
"GM1 Clustering Inhibits Cholera Toxin Binding in Supported Phospholipid Membranes" Jinjun Shi, Tinglu Yang, Sho Kataoka, Yanjie Zhang, Arnaldo J. Diaz, Paul S. Cremer J. Am. Chem. Soc. 129 (2007) 5954-5961
"Glycosphingolipids as Receptors for Bt Toxin" Joel S. Griffitts, Stuart M. Haslam, Tinglu Yang, Steve Garczynki, Barbara Mulloy, Paul S. Cremer, Anne Dell, Michael J. Adang, and Raffi V. Aroian Science 307 (2005) 922-925
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