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Related Concept Videos

Membrane Lipids01:32

Membrane Lipids

Lipids are an essential component of all biological membranes. The average lipid content in mammalian membranes is 50%, though it can be as low as 20% in the inner mitochondrial membrane or as high as 80% in the myelin sheath present around the nerve cells.
Phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylserine, and sphingomyelin are the most common phospholipids present in mammalian membranes. At physiological pH, phosphatidylserine is negatively charged, while the other three...
Membrane Lipids01:32

Membrane Lipids

Lipids are an essential component of all biological membranes. The average lipid content in mammalian membranes is 50%, though it can be as low as 20% in the inner mitochondrial membrane or as high as 80% in the myelin sheath present around the nerve cells.
Phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylserine, and sphingomyelin are the most common phospholipids present in mammalian membranes. At physiological pH, phosphatidylserine is negatively charged, while the other three...
Asymmetric Lipid Bilayer01:35

Asymmetric Lipid Bilayer

Biological membranes show uneven distribution of different types of lipids in the inner and outer layers, resulting in transverse asymmetric membranes. The treatment of the erythrocyte membrane with the enzyme phospholipase confirmed the asymmetric nature of the lipid bilayer. The enzyme hydrolyzes lipids into fatty acids and hydrophilic groups. The phospholipase acts only on the outer layer of the membrane, while the inner layer remains intact. The phospholipase treatment resulted in 80%...
Membrane Carbohydrates01:30

Membrane Carbohydrates

The plasma membrane is a dynamic barrier composed of lipids, proteins, and carbohydrates. It is the epicenter of many cellular processes required for cell growth and survival. Carbohydrates have unique structural and chemical properties that help the plasma membrane to carry out its functions effectively.
Membrane carbohydrates do not have any hydrophobic region and are exclusively located on the cell's outer surface. The addition of sugar molecules or glycosylation of proteins happens in...
Membrane Carbohydrates01:30

Membrane Carbohydrates

The plasma membrane is a dynamic barrier composed of lipids, proteins, and carbohydrates. It is the epicenter of many cellular processes required for cell growth and survival. Carbohydrates have unique structural and chemical properties that help the plasma membrane to carry out its functions effectively.
Membrane carbohydrates do not have any hydrophobic region and are exclusively located on the cell's outer surface. The addition of sugar molecules or glycosylation of proteins happens in...
Fluid Mosaic Model01:19

Fluid Mosaic Model

Scientists identified the plasma membrane in the 1890s and its principal chemical components (lipids and proteins) by 1915. The model for plasma membrane structure, proposed in 1935 by Hugh Davson and James Danielli, was the first model to be widely accepted in the scientific community. The model was based on the plasma membrane's "railroad track" appearance in early electron micrographs. Davson and Danielli theorized that the plasma membrane's structure resembled a sandwich with the analogy of...

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Mass Spectrometric Analysis of Glycosphingolipid Antigens
13:09

Mass Spectrometric Analysis of Glycosphingolipid Antigens

Published on: April 16, 2013

The way we view cellular (glyco)sphingolipids.

Sandra Hoetzl1, Hein Sprong, Gerrit van Meer

  • 1Membrane Enzymology, Bijvoet Center and Institute of Biomembranes, Utrecht University, Urecht, The Netherlands.

Journal of Neurochemistry
|December 6, 2007
PubMed
Summary

Mammalian cells transport sphingolipids via lipid rafts, essential for cell signaling. Current methods lack the resolution to fully understand these lipid transport mechanisms.

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Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Biochemistry
  • Membrane Biology

Background:

  • Mammalian cells synthesize ceramide in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER).
  • Sphingolipids are converted to sphingomyelin and glycosphingolipids in the Golgi apparatus.
  • These lipids traffic to the plasma membrane and endocytic system, forming lipid rafts.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To critically evaluate current data on sphingolipid localization and transport.
  • To discuss the role of lipid rafts in cellular processes.
  • To identify limitations and suggest improvements in morphological techniques for lipid localization.

Main Methods:

  • Critical evaluation of published biochemical experimental data.
  • Discussion of existing and potential morphological techniques.
  • Analysis of lipid self-aggregation properties with cholesterol.

Main Results:

  • Sphingolipids self-aggregate with cholesterol into lipid rafts, driving anterograde traffic from the Golgi.
  • Lipid rafts act as scaffolds for signaling domains at the plasma membrane.
  • Unexpected findings have emerged regarding sphingolipid-mediated events and their localization.

Conclusions:

  • Understanding sphingolipid transport is crucial for cell signaling.
  • Current progress is limited by the lack of nanometer-resolution morphological techniques for lipid localization.
  • Further advancements require improved techniques to visualize lipid dynamics and interactions.