Molecular Transportation Conversion of Membrane Tension Using a Mechanosensitive Channel in Asymmetric Lipid–Protein Vesicles

Giant lipid vesicles composed of a lipid bilayer form complex membrane structures and enzyme network reactions that can be used to construct well-defined artificial cell models based on microfluidic technologies and synthetic biology. As a different approach to cell-mimicking systems, we formed an asymmetric lipid-amphiphilic protein (oleosin) vesicle containing a lipid and an oleosin monolayer in the outer and inner leaflets, respectively. These asymmetric vesicles enabled the reconstitution and function of β-barrel types of membrane proteins (OmpG) and the fission of vesicles stimulated by lysophospholipids. These applications combine the advantages of the high stability of lipids and oleosin leaflets in asymmetric lipid–oleosin vesicles. In this study, to evaluate the versatility of this asymmetric lipid–oleosin vesicle, the molecular transport of the mechanosensitive channel of large conductance (MscL) with an α-helix was evaluated by changing the tension of the asymmetric vesicle membrane with lysophospholipid. A nanopore of MscL assembled as a pentamer of MscLs transports small molecules of less than 10 kDa by sensing physical stress at the lipid bilayer. The amount and maximum size of the small molecules transported via MscL in the asymmetric lipid–oleosin vesicles were compared to those in the lipid vesicles. We revealed the existence of the C- and N-terminal regions (cytoplasmic side) of MscL on the inner leaflet of the asymmetric lipid–oleosin vesicles using an insertion direction assay. Furthermore, the change in the tension of the lipid–oleosin membrane activated the proteins in these vesicles, inducing their transportation through MscL nanopores. Therefore, asymmetric lipid–oleosin vesicles containing MscL can be used as substrates to study the external environment response of complex artificial cell models.