Although the properties of the cell plasma membrane lipid bilayer are broadly understood to affect integral membrane proteins, details of these interactions are poorly understood. This is particularly the case for the large family of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Here, we examine the lipid dependence of the human serotonin 5-HT1A receptor, a GPCR that is central to neuronal function. We incorporate the protein in synthetic bilayers of controlled composition together with a fluorescent reporting system that detects GPCR-catalyzed activation of G protein to measure receptor-catalyzed oligonucleotide exchange. Our results show that increased membrane order induced by sterols and sphingomyelin increases receptor-catalyzed oligonucleotide exchange. Increasing membrane elastic curvature stress also increases this exchange. These results reveal the broad dependence that the 5-HT1A receptor has on plasma membrane properties, demonstrating that membrane lipid composition is a biochemical control parameter and highlighting the possibility that compositional changes related to aging, diet, or disease could impact cell signaling functions.

While current research is centered on observing biophysical properties and phenomena in giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs), little is known about fabrication parameters that control GUV formation. Using different lipids and rehydration buffers, we directly observe varying dynamics of hydrogel-assisted GUV formation via fluorescence microscopy. We observe the effects of buffer ionic strength, osmolarity, agarose density, and pH on the formation of GUVs using neutral and charged lipids. We find that increasing rehydration buffer ionic strength correlates with increased vesicle size and rate of GUV formation. Increasing buffer acidity increased the rate of GUV formation, while more basic environments slowed the rate. For buffers containing 500 mM sucrose, GUV formation was overall inhibited and only tubules formed. Observations of GUV formation dynamics elucidate parametric effects of charge, ionic strength, pH, and osmolarity, demonstrating the versatility of this biomimetic platform.

Using an agarose hydration technique for protein incorporation into vesicular bilayers, we elucidate the effects of membrane composition and ordering on G Protein Coupled Receptors (GPRCs). We successfully incorporate GPCRs into model membranes in the form of giant unilamellar proteinvesicles (GUPs). Using this completely in vitro platform we observe that the functional rate of the human serotonin receptor, GPCR 5-HT 1A , and the A 2 a Adenosine GPCR is dependent on membrane composition and ordering. We use BODIPY-GTPgS as our fluorescent marker to track the irreversible exchange between GDP and GTP on G proteins over time in GUPs composed of 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC), brain sphingomyelin (BSM), and cholesterol (Chol) as well as synthetic lamellar phase diblock copolymer. Furthermore, using this approach we demonstrate that the incorporated receptors display a biased orientation with the N-terminus located on the exterior (extracellular) and the C-terminus on the interior (cytosolic).