Fig. 5: QCM-D analysis of TX-100 induced vesicle fusion on solid surfaces.

Schematic illustrations (top panels) and normalized variation in frequency (red) and dissipation (blue) (bottom panels) associated with the 7th (solid lines) and 9th (dashed lines) harmonics upon injection of LUVs and a 0.1 mM, b 0.2 mM, and c 0.3 mM TX-100 to a surface functionalized with BSA-biotin, NeutrAvidin, and biotinylated LUVs. As illustrated, TX-100 induces a time-dependent increase in mass on the surface due to vesicles in solution merging with anchored vesicles, and minimal material is removed during surface washing when the TX-100 concentration is below the CMC. In contrast, tethered species lyse and dissociate when the detergent concentration exceeds the CMC. Injection of TX-100 and freely diffusing LUVs is denoted by the yellow shaded areas and was performed after washing the vesicle-saturated surface with 50 mM Tris buffer (pH 8). The blue shaded areas correspond to the final wash step when post-interaction, the surface was rinsed with buffer. All experiments were performed at 21 °C.