Morphological and topological transformations that are induced into cell-sized giant liposomes

Abstract

Morphological and topological changes of biological membranes play essential roles in cellular activities, such as endocytosis and exocytosis. Here, real-time imaging of giant liposomes using optical dark-field microscopy reveals that the lipid bilayer membrane possesses the ability to undergo topological transformation through interactions with proteins, peptides, or surfactants.