Rolling properties of rGPIBα-conjugated phospholipid vesicles with different membrane flexibilities on vWf surface under flow conditions

The recombinant fragment of the platelet membrane glycoprotein, rGPIb́, was conjugated to phospholipid vesicles with the average diameter of ca. 1 μm using N-succinimidyl 3-(2-pyridyldithio) propionate (SPDP). We used five kinds of rGPIb́-vesicles with different fluorescent anisotropies of 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH) to study the rolling properties of the vesicles on the von Willebrand factor (vWf)-immobilized surface. Under flow conditions, the rolling velocity of the rGPIb́-vesicles decreased with the increasing membrane flexibility. It is considered that the vesicles with a high membrane flexibility have a high deformability and can be flattened to a high degree during rolling on the vWf surface, thus resulting in the large contact area. We obtained a recipe to control the rolling velocity of artificial platelets by membrane flexibility.