Cell membranes are highly asymmetric and their stability against poration is crucial for survival. We investigated the influence of membrane asymmetry on electroporation of giant unilamellar vesicles with membranes doped with GM1, a ganglioside asymmetrically enriched in the outer leaflet of neuronal cell membranes. Compared with symmetric membranes, the lifetimes of micronsized pores are about an order of magnitude longer suggesting that pores are stabilized by GM1. Internal membrane nanotubes caused by the GM1 asymmetry, obstruct and additionally slow down pore closure, effectively reducing pore edge tension and leading to leaky membranes. Our results point to the drastic effects this ganglioside can have on pore resealing in biotechnology applications based on poration as well as on membrane repair processes.

细胞膜高度不对称，其抗穿孔稳定性对于生存至关重要。我们研究了膜不对称性对膜上掺杂 GM1 的巨型单层囊泡电穿孔的影响，GM1 是一种不对称富集在神经元细胞膜外层的神经节苷脂。与对称膜相比，微米级孔的寿命大约长一个数量级，表明 GM1 可以稳定孔。由 GM1 不对称性引起的内膜纳米管会阻碍并减慢孔的闭合，有效降低孔边缘张力并导致膜渗漏。我们的结果表明，这种神经节苷脂可以对基于穿孔的生物技术应用中的孔重新密封以及膜修复过程产生巨大影响。