A multiparametric fluorescence approach for biomembrane studies

Biological membranes are heterogeneous assemblies of a variety of lipids and proteins as well as cholesterol. The dynamic nature of these biomembranes spans a wide range of spatiotemporal scales that are essential to their function in cell signaling and biomolecular trafficking. In contrast, biomimetic membranes are simple, stable, and versatile systems to study the physicochemical principles such as lipid mixing, phase separation, domain formation and intermolecular interactions, which underlie lipid bilayers assemblies under controlled conditions. In this chapter, multiparametric fluorescence micro-spectroscopy approach will be described for quantitative and noninvasive investigation of molecular processes that trigger lateral and temporal heterogeneities in biomembranes.