Preparation of Supported Planar Lipid Membranes Containing Transmembrane Proteins1

A new method has been developed for preparation of supported planar lipid membranes containing transmembrane proteins. Phosphatidylcholine and glycophorin A were deposited on the surface of alkylated glass coverslips by dialysis. The planar lipid membranes prepared in this manner were examined for the binding of wheat germ agglutinin agarose. The binding of the agarose to these membranes is dependent on the membrane fluidity. The advantages of this technique are: (1) a supported planar membrane can be more readily prepared, and (2) less amounts of membrane proteins are needed for reconstitution.