Micro- and Nanoengineering of the Cell Surface

Chapter 6

Lipid-Mediated Cell Surface Engineering

Jaina M. Patel, Vincent F. Vartabedian and Periasamy Selvaraj,    Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA

Cell membranes provide not only a physical barrier between the extracellular and intracellular space, but they also contain many proteins, which serve as mediators of inside-out and outside-in signals essential for cell survival and functions. Therefore, these cell surfaces can be engineered to manipulate cellular functions. Lipid-mediated protein transfer allows for decoration of the cell surface by exogenous incorporation of proteins that are modified with hydrophobic tails into lipid bilayers. Protein transfer allows for controllable ...