Physical Properties -- Preparation, Isolation, and Characterization of Liposomes Containing Natural and Synthetic Lipids -- Preparation and Use of Liposomes for the Study of Sphingolipid Segregation in Membrane Model Systems -- Liposome Fusion/Modulation -- Peptide-Induced Fusion of Liposomes -- Liposomes -- Lipids in Viral Fusion -- Application of Liposomes -- Liposome-Mediated, Fluorescence-Based Studies of Sphingolipid Metabolism in Intact Cells -- Micelles and Liposomes in Metabolic Enzyme and Glycolipid Glycosyltransferase Assays -- Liposomes and Phospholipid Binding Proteins in Glycoprotein Biosynthesis -- Therapeutic Uses of Antioxidant Liposomes -- Targeted Gene Delivery by Virosomes* -- Liposomes Containing Ligands -- Preparation and Characterization of Glycolipid-Bearing Multilamellar and Unilamellar Liposomes -- Use of Liposomes Containing Carbohydrates for Production of Monoclonal Antibodies -- Inhibition of Tumor Metastasis by Liposomes Containing Glyco-Replica Peptides -- Use of Phospholipid Bilayers and Monolayers in Binding Studies of Vitamin K-Dependent Blood Coagulation Proteins.

In vitro utilization of liposomes holds great potential as a powerful tool for drug targeting, gene transport across plasma and nuclear membranes, and enzyme therapy for patients with genetic disorders. In Liposome Methods and Protocols, a panel of skilled researchers describes in step-by-step detail their best laboratory techniques for elucidating liposome biology and realizing this promise. With these readily reproducible methods, investigators can illuminate such critical questions as the attachment of liposomes to cell surfaces, the permeation of liposomes through the plasma membranes, and the stability of liposomes in cellular and nuclear matrices. Each detailed protocol is presented by an investigator who is intimately familiar with its problems and capabilities, and includes a detailed list of materials to be used, troubleshooting tips straight from the benchtop, and notes on pitfalls to avoid. The emphasis is on clearly presenting the technical steps critical to experimental success that are too often omitted from methods published in the primary literature. State-of-the-art and highly practical, Liposome Methods and Protocols provides an indispensable collection of proven techniques and references for researchers across many fields, including glycoproteins, glycolipids, glycosyltransferases, drug transport, viral transport, antibody delivery, synthetic peptide delivery to cells, and protease delivery.