Disassembly of Dipeptide Single Crystals Can Transform the Lipid Membrane into a Network.

Coupling between cytoskeleton and membranes is critical to cell movement as well as organelle formation. Here, we demonstrate that self-assembled single crystals of a dipeptide, diphenylalanine (FF), can interact with liposomes to form cytoskeleton-like structures. Under a physiological condition, disassembly of FF crystals deforms and translocates supported lipid membrane. The system exhibits similar dynamic characteristics to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) network in cells. This bottom-up system thus indicates that external matter can participate in the deformation of liposomes, and disassembly of the nanostructures enables a system with distinct dynamic behaviors.