@article{2b8277c5afaa4361ae77f911a7abaf23,
title = "Mechanically stable solvent-free lipid bilayers in nano- and micro-tapered apertures for reconstitution of cell-free synthesized hERG channels",
abstract = "The self-assembled bilayer lipid membrane (BLM) is the basic component of the cell membrane. The reconstitution of ion channel proteins in artificially formed BLMs represents a well-defined system for the functional analysis of ion channels and screening the effects of drugs that act on them. However, because BLMs are unstable, this limits the experimental throughput of BLM reconstitution systems. Here we report on the formation of mechanically stable solvent-free BLMs in microfabricated apertures with defined nano- and micro-tapered edge structures. The role of such nano- and micro-tapered structures on the stability of the BLMs was also investigated. Finally, this BLM system was combined with a cell-free synthesized human ether-a-go-go-related gene channel, a cardiac potassium channel whose relation to arrhythmic side effects following drug treatment is well recognized. Such stable BLMs as these, when combined with a cell-free system, represent a potential platform for screening the effects of drugs that act on various ion-channel genotypes.",
author = "Daisuke Tadaki and Daichi Yamaura and Shun Araki and Miyu Yoshida and Kohei Arata and Takeshi Ohori and Ishibashi, {Ken Ichi} and Miki Kato and Teng Ma and Ryusuke Miyata and Yuzuru Tozawa and Hideaki Yamamoto and Michio Niwano and Ayumi Hirano-Iwata",
note = "Funding Information: The authors wish to thank Professor M.R.R. de Planque for thoughtful discussions. This work was supported by the CREST program of the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JPMJCR14F3) and Grant-in-Aids from Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (Grant number: 15H03822). Financial supports from The Asahi Glass Foundation, Casio Science Promotion Foundation and Nation-wide Cooperative Research Projects, Research Institute of Electrical Communication, Tohoku University are also acknowledged. Some of the equipment used in this research was manufactured by technical staff member Kento Abe, at the machine shop division of Fundamental Technology Center, Research Institute of Electrical Communication, Tohoku University. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2017 The Author(s).",
year = "2017",
month = dec,
day = "1",
doi = "10.1038/s41598-017-17905-x",
language = "English",
volume = "7",
journal = "Scientific Reports",
issn = "2045-2322",
publisher = "Nature Publishing Group",
number = "1",
}