Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 29, 2026

From Fast Fluorescence Imaging to Molecular Diffusion Law on Live Cell Membranes in a Commercial Microscope
Published on: October 9, 2014
Dynamics of pinned membranes with application to protein diffusion on the surface of red blood cells
Lawrence C-L Lin1, Frank L H Brown
1Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106-9510, USA.
Abstract:
We present a theoretical treatment and simulation algorithm for the dynamics of Helfrich elastic membrane surfaces in the presence of general harmonic perturbations and hydrodynamic coupling to the surrounding solvent. In the limit of localized and strong interactions, this harmonic model can be used to pin the membrane to intracellular/intercellular structures. We consider the case of pinning to the cytoskeleton and use such a model to estimate the macroscopic diffusion constant for band 3 protein on the surface of human erythrocytes. Comparison to experimental results suggests that thermal undulations of the membrane surface should play a significant role in protein mobility on the red blood cell.
More Related Videos
05:56Spot Variation Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy for Analysis of Molecular Diffusion at the Plasma Membrane of Living Cells
Published on: November 12, 2020
08:55Single-Molecule Imaging of Lateral Mobility and Ion Channel Activity in Lipid Bilayers using Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence (TIRF) Microscopy
Published on: February 17, 2023
Related Concept Videos
Protein Diffusion in the Membrane
Protein Dynamics in Living Cells
Fluorescent recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) is a fluorescent-protein-based detection technique used to quantify protein movement rates within the cell. This method exposes a small portion of the cell to an intense laser beam. The laser beam causes permanent photobleaching of the fluorophore-tagged proteins in the exposed region. As the bleached...
Mechanisms of Membrane-bending
Membrane bending can happen due to intrinsic changes in lipid composition or extrinsic association with different proteins. The proteins involved...
Mechanisms of Membrane Domain Formation
Another mechanism for membrane domain formation involves membrane proteins interacting with cytoskeletal...
Introduction to Membrane Traffic
The transport of soluble and membrane proteins is mediated by transport vesicles that collect cargo from one cellular compartment and deliver it to another by fusing with the target organelle membrane. The Rab...
Membrane Fluidity
Mosaic nature of the membrane
The mosaic characteristic of the membrane helps the plasma membrane remain fluid. The integral proteins and lipids exist as separate but loosely-attached molecules in the membrane. The membrane is a relatively...