Membrane Localization and Lipid Interactions of Common Lipid-Conjugated Fluorescence Probes.

Lateral segregation of lipids in model and biological membranes has been studied intensively in the last decades using a comprehensive set of experimental techniques. Most methods require a probe to report on the biophysical properties of a specific molecule in the lipid bilayer. Because such probes can adversely affect the results of the measurement and perturb the local membrane structure and dynamics, a detailed understanding of probe behavior and its influence on the properties of its direct environment is important. Membrane phase-selective and lipid-mimicking molecules represent common types of probes. Here, we have studied how the fluorescent probes