Last Wednesday, I gave a presentation on the chemical properties for the formation of patterns in nature. One of my examples involved fairly current research on the pattern formation of the lipid bilayer. I found this study truly exciting and will explain it in more detail. The Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction (BZ reaction) involves the addition of energy to a medium containing bromine and an acid. The addition of “fuel” breaks the second law of thermodynamics and leads to the accumulation of undesirable products. Once the necessary reagents run out, the reaction reverses and regains equilibrium.
Current research on the lipid bilayer involves the addition of the BZ reaction to the lipid bilayer to alter the sandwich model. The sandwich model represents a phosholipid layer between two outer protein layers. Before the BZ reaction was analyzed for pattern formation, the integrity of the bilayer was detected through x-ray scattering. X-ray scattering reveals a sample’s shape and size through the sample’s dispersion of x-rays. The x-ray scattering results revealed that the integrity of the lipid bilayer was maintained by the addition of BZ reagents.
The next step of the experiment involved the addition of BZ reagents to observe he various pattern formations of the lipid bilayer. Each pattern was classified depending on the lipid content. The lipid content is represented by the percentage of the weight of the lipid over the total weight of the solution. The mechanism behind the BZ reaction with the lipid bilayer is not known yet. One theory involves the presence of pore-like defects in the lipid bilayer that may allow the disruption of the sandwich model for new patterns. Researchers plan to use this information as a model for patterning phenomena in nature.
Reference
Rossi, F.; Ristori, S.; Rustici, M.; Marchettini, N.; Tiezzi, E. Dynamics of pattern formation in biomimetic systems Journal of Theoretical Biology 2008, 255, 404-412.
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In addition to my post, I would like to add a few words of thanks to everyone involved in the planning of this trip. I have truly enjoyed and learned so much during my stay in Italy. To Renzo, Gabriela, Daniela, Dr. Norton, Jose, and Natalie, I want to thank you for all the hard work you put into this memorable trip. To all the students involved in this trip, I enjoyed getting to know every single one of you and hope to continue my friendship with each of you. Ciao!
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