We studied real-time interaction between poly(ethylene glycol)-conjugated phospholipids (PEG-lipids) and a supported lipid membrane by surface plasmon resonance (SPR) spectroscopy to understand dynamic behaviors of PEG-lipids on living cell membranes. Supported lipid membranes formed on a hydrophobic surface were employed as a model of living cell membrane. We prepared three kinds of PEG-lipids that carried alkyl chains of different lengths for SPR measurements and also performed fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) to study the influence of acyl chain length on dynamics on the supported membrane. PEG-lipids were uniformly anchored to lipid membranes with high fluidity without clustering. Incorporation and dissociation rates of PEG-lipids into supported membranes strongly depended on the length of acyl chains; longer acyl chains reduced the incorporation rate and the dissociation rate of PEG-lipid. Furthermore, protein adsorption experiment with bovine serum albumin indicated that PEG modification prevented the adsorption of bovine serum albumin on such supported membrane.

Eight types of poly(ethylene glycol)-lipid(PEG-lipids) carrying different lipid tails were synthesized. These PEG-lipids were labeled with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC-PEG-lipids) to examine their interaction with cells and to quantitatively determine amounts of PEG-lipids bound on the cell surface. FITC-PEG-lipids spontaneously anchored to the cell membrane within 15 min without loss of cell viability. The type of lipid had very little effect on the anchoring rates, while an increase in the hydrophobicity of the lipid portion of the PEG-lipids slowed their dissociation rates. Densities of FITC-PEG-lipids on the cell surface ranged from 1 × 10(-3) to 1 × 10(-2)molecules/nm(2), depending on the kinds of lipids employed. The relationship between the stability of the lipids on the cell membrane and the hydrophobicity of the lipid moieties will give a basis for the selection of a hydrophobic moiety in PEG-lipid conjugates for use in specific applications.

We constructed an effective vibration isolation system that employed an active vibration isolation system on top of a thick base-slab foundation and evaluated the performance by comparing the resultant vibration levels with the most stringent criterion of architectural standards (VC-E). The effect of the thick base slab on reducing vibrations was systematically investigated by comparing vibration levels at the bedrock with those at the base slab. The vibration spectra measured on the active vibration isolation table achieved an overall 1/100–1/200 of the VC-E in the range of 1–100 Hz, except at 5–25 Hz in the vertical direction. In addition, these vibration spectra were compared with those from another vibration isolation system based on a separate foundation. These comparative studies of vibration isolation, including details of the entire systems, can provide useful information for designing an effective vibration isolation system for various experiments that are highly sensitive to low-frequency vibration noise, such as scanning probe microscopy, electron microscopy, and ultrafine patterning.

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