Abstract
In the mixture of lipid and small amount of protein (talin) aqueous solution, cuplike vesicles were formed, in which talin was adsorbed at the periphery of cuplike vesicles. A statistical mechanical analysis was made to explain the observed concentration dependence of the shape of cuplike vesicles. It was made clear the following facts : the adsorption isotherm of talin to the periphery of cup determines the line tension of the cuplike vesicle and the mechanical balance of line tension and the bending elasticity of the lipid membrane determines the shape of the cuplike vesicle.
So far, lipid and bile salt mixture has been studied from the physiological and medical point of view. The researchers have long believed that the aggregates are disc like vesicle and/or spherical vesicle. As the size of the aggregates of this system is less than one micron, they cannot visually be observed. As an extension of the theory on the lipid and talin system, I theoretically predicted that cuplike vesicle could be one of aggregate forms of lipid and bile salt system either.
