S. Gritsch et al., IMPEDANCE SPECTROSCOPY OF PORIN AND GRAMICIDIN PORES RECONSTITUTED INTO SUPPORTED LIPID BILAYERS ON INDIUM-TIN-OXIDE ELECTRODES, Langmuir, 14(11), 1998, pp. 3118-3125
We prepared electrolyte-membrane-electrolyte-semiconductor (EMES) inte
rfaces by fusion and high-temperature annealing of positively charged
lipid vesicles (containing 49 mol % cholesterol and 42 mol % lecithin
besides 9 mol % positively charged lipid) on optical transparent indiu
m-tin-oxide (ITO) semiconductor electrodes. Membrane resistances of up
to 109 k Omega cm(2) were reached. By conductivity measurements in th
e presence of the redox couple K3Fe(CN)(6)/K4Fe(CN)(6) the area fracti
on of defects exhibited in the supported membranes was determined to b
e less than 0.0001. We show that by measurement of the impedance over
a large frequency range (10(-1)-10(5) Hz) it is possible to discrimina
te between changes (1) of the capacitance of the ITO electrodes, (2) t
he membrane capacitance, and (3) the membrane conductivity of the sens
or device. The membrane pore gramicidin and the outer membrane protein
s OmpF and OmpA (from E. coli) where reconstituted into the supported
membranes by transfer from vesicles. The functionality and selectivity
of gramicidin and OmpF in supported membranes are demonstrated by mea
suring the membrane resistance in the presence of pores for various el
ectrolyte compositions.