Observation of liquid-crystal-like ferroelectric behavior in a biological membrane

Authors
Ermolina, I Strinkovski, A Lewis, A Feldman, Y
Citation
I. Ermolina et al., Observation of liquid-crystal-like ferroelectric behavior in a biological membrane, J PHYS CH B, 105(14), 2001, pp. 2673-2676
Citations number
14
Categorie Soggetti
Physical Chemistry/Chemical Physics
Journal title
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY B
ISSN journal
15206106 → ACNP
Volume
105
Issue
14
Year of publication
2001
Pages
2673 - 2676
Database
ISI
SICI code
1520-6106(20010412)105:14<2673:OOLFBI>2.0.ZU;2-G
Abstract
In this contribution, we report the application of time domain dielectric s pectroscopy from 500 kHz to 1 GHz and differential scanning calorimetry to bacteriorhodopsin containing purple membrane films. The results of these me asurements unexpectedly show that the oriented purple membrane has a unique liquid-crystal-like ferroelectric behavior. The dielectric behavior can be considered as soft mode relaxation processes in ferroelectric liquid cryst als near smectic-C*-smectic-A phase transition. Such a phenomenon has not b een previously observed in biological systems.