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Scratching beyond the surface — minimal actin assemblies as tools to elucidate mechanical reinforcement and shape change (2022)
Journal Article
Aufderhorst-Roberts, A., & Staykova, M. (2022). Scratching beyond the surface — minimal actin assemblies as tools to elucidate mechanical reinforcement and shape change. Emerging Topics in Life Sciences, 6(6), 583-592. https://doi.org/10.1042/etls20220052

The interaction between the actin cytoskeleton and the plasma membrane in eukaryotic cells is integral to a large number of functions such as shape change, mechanical reinforcement and contraction. These phenomena are driven by the architectural regu... Read More about Scratching beyond the surface — minimal actin assemblies as tools to elucidate mechanical reinforcement and shape change.

Encapsulated bacteria deform lipid vesicles into flagellated swimmers (2022)
Journal Article
Le Nagard, L., Brown, A. T., Dawson, A., Martinez, V. A., Poon, W. C., & Staykova, M. (2022). Encapsulated bacteria deform lipid vesicles into flagellated swimmers. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119(34), https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2206096119

We study a synthetic system of motile Escherichia coli bacteria encapsulated inside giant lipid vesicles. Forces exerted by the bacteria on the inner side of the membrane are sufficient to extrude membrane tubes filled with one or several bacteria. W... Read More about Encapsulated bacteria deform lipid vesicles into flagellated swimmers.

Comparative Study of Lipid- and Polymer-Supported Membranes Obtained by Vesicle Fusion (2022)
Journal Article
Goodband, R. J., Bain, C. D., & Staykova, M. (2022). Comparative Study of Lipid- and Polymer-Supported Membranes Obtained by Vesicle Fusion. Langmuir, 38(18), 5674-5681. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.langmuir.2c00266

We compare the fusion of giant lipid and block-copolymer vesicles on glass and poly(dimethylsiloxane) substrates. Both types of vesicles are similar in their ability to fuse to hydrophilic substrates and form patches with distinct heart or circular s... Read More about Comparative Study of Lipid- and Polymer-Supported Membranes Obtained by Vesicle Fusion.

Dynamic Mechanochemical feedback between curved membranes and BAR protein self-organization (2021)
Journal Article
Roux, A. L., Tozzi, C., Walani, N., Quiroga, X., Zalvidea, D., Trepat, X., …Roca-Cusachs, P. (2021). Dynamic Mechanochemical feedback between curved membranes and BAR protein self-organization. Nature Communications, 12, Article 6550. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-26591-3

In many physiological situations, BAR proteins reshape membranes with pre-existing curvature (templates), contributing to essential cellular processes. However, the mechanism and the biological implications of this reshaping process remain unclear. H... Read More about Dynamic Mechanochemical feedback between curved membranes and BAR protein self-organization.

Biophysical insights from supported lipid patches (2019)
Book Chapter
Miller, E., Stubbington, L., Dinet, C., & Staykova, M. (2019). Biophysical insights from supported lipid patches. In A. Iglič, M. Rappolt, & A. J. García-Sáez (Eds.), Advances in Biomembranes and Lipid Self-Assembly (23-48). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.abl.2019.01.004

Supported lipid bilayer (SLB) patches have emerged in recent years as a convenient system to study membrane-substrate interactions, membrane mechanics, and interaction of membranes with other molecules, due to the possibility of tracking their area c... Read More about Biophysical insights from supported lipid patches.

Substrate-led cholesterol extraction from supported lipid membranes (2018)
Journal Article
Miller, E., Voitchovsky, K., & Staykova, M. (2018). Substrate-led cholesterol extraction from supported lipid membranes. Nanoscale, 10(34), 16332-16342. https://doi.org/10.1039/c8nr03399d

The lipid membrane is a principal building block in biology, technology and industry, where it often occurs supported by other hydrophilic structures. Interactions with the support can affect the physical behavior of the membrane from the local organ... Read More about Substrate-led cholesterol extraction from supported lipid membranes.

Shape Transformations of Lipid Bilayers Following Rapid Cholesterol Uptake (2016)
Journal Article
Rahimi, M., Regan, D., Arroyo, M., Subramaniam, A., Stone, H., & Staykova, M. (2016). Shape Transformations of Lipid Bilayers Following Rapid Cholesterol Uptake. Biophysical Journal, 111(12), 2651-2657. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpj.2016.11.016

High cholesterol levels in the blood increase the risk of atherosclerosis. A common explanation is that the cholesterol increase in the plasma membrane perturbs the shape and functions of cells by disrupting the cell signaling pathways and the format... Read More about Shape Transformations of Lipid Bilayers Following Rapid Cholesterol Uptake.

Biophysical dissection of schistosome septins: Insights into oligomerization and membrane binding (2016)
Journal Article
Zeraik, A., Staykova, M., Fontes, M., Nemuraitė, I., Quinlan, R., Araújo, A., & DeMarco, R. (2016). Biophysical dissection of schistosome septins: Insights into oligomerization and membrane binding. Biochimie, 131, 96-105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biochi.2016.09.014

Septins are GTP-binding proteins that are highly conserved among eukaryotes and which are usually membrane-associated. They have been linked to several critical cellular functions such as exocytosis and ciliogenesis, but little mechanistic detail is... Read More about Biophysical dissection of schistosome septins: Insights into oligomerization and membrane binding.

Sticking and sliding of lipid bilayers on deformable substrates (2016)
Journal Article
Stubbington, L., Arroyo, M., & Staykova, M. (2016). Sticking and sliding of lipid bilayers on deformable substrates. Soft Matter, 13, 181-186. https://doi.org/10.1039/c6sm00786d

We examine here the properties of lipid bilayers coupled to deformable substrates. We show that by changing the extent of the substrate hydrophilicity, we can control the membrane–substrate coupling and the response of the bilayer to strain deformati... Read More about Sticking and sliding of lipid bilayers on deformable substrates.

Responsible innovation across borders: tensions, paradoxes and possibilities (2014)
Journal Article
Macnaghten, P., Owen, R., Stilgoe, J., Wynne, B., Azevedo, A., de Campos, A., …Velho, L. (2014). Responsible innovation across borders: tensions, paradoxes and possibilities. Journal of Responsible Innovation, 1(2), 191-199. https://doi.org/10.1080/23299460.2014.922249

In March 2014 a group of early career researchers and academics from São Paulo state and from the UK met at the University of Campinas to participate in a workshop on ‘Responsible Innovation and the Governance of Socially Controversial Technologies’.... Read More about Responsible innovation across borders: tensions, paradoxes and possibilities.

Confined bilayers passively regulate shape and stress (2013)
Journal Article
Staykova, M., Arroyo, M., Rahimi, M., & Stone, H. (2013). Confined bilayers passively regulate shape and stress. Physical Review Letters, 110(2), Article 028101. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.110.028101

Lipid membranes are commonly confined to adjacent subcellular structures or to artificial substrates and particles. We develop an experimental and theoretical framework to investigate the mechanics of confined membranes, including the influence of ad... Read More about Confined bilayers passively regulate shape and stress.

Mechanics of surface area regulation in cells examined with confined lipid membranes. (2011)
Journal Article
Staykova, M., Holmes, D., Read, C., & Stone, H. (2011). Mechanics of surface area regulation in cells examined with confined lipid membranes. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 108(22), https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1102358108

Cells are wrapped in inelastic membranes, yet they can sustain large mechanical strains by regulating their area. The area regulation in cells is achieved either by membrane folding or by membrane exo- and endocytosis. These processes involve complex... Read More about Mechanics of surface area regulation in cells examined with confined lipid membranes..

Wrinkling and electroporation of giant vesicles in the gel phase. (2010)
Journal Article
Knorr, R., Staykova, M., Gracija, R., & Dimova, R. (2010). Wrinkling and electroporation of giant vesicles in the gel phase. Soft Matter, 6(9), 1990-1996. https://doi.org/10.1039/b925929e

Electric pulses applied to fluid phospholipid vesicles deform them and can induce the formation of pores, which reseal after the end of the pulse. The mechanical and rheological properties of membranes in the gel phase differ significantly from those... Read More about Wrinkling and electroporation of giant vesicles in the gel phase..