Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Membrane Domains01:18

Membrane Domains

The membrane domains concentrate specific lipids and proteins at one place within the membrane, which helps in cell signaling, adhesion, and other critical cellular processes. These domains can differ in size, composition, function, and lifespan.
Protein Domains
The membrane comprises a group of distinct proteins responsible for carrying out a cell's specific function. For example, the plasma membrane of the human sperm, or a single germ cell, contains a unique set of proteins in the anterior...
Mechanisms of Membrane Domain Formation00:59

Mechanisms of Membrane Domain Formation

Different physical properties of lipids and proteins allow them to localize and form distinct islands or domains in the membrane. Some membrane domains are formed due to protein-protein interactions, whereas others are formed due to the presence of specific lipids such as sphingolipids and sterols—for example, large proteins, such as bacteriorhodopsin, aggregate and create distinct domains.
Another mechanism for membrane domain formation involves membrane proteins interacting with cytoskeletal...
Protein Dynamics in Living Cells01:19

Protein Dynamics in Living Cells

Different fluorescence-based techniques are used to study the protein dynamics in living cells. These techniques include FRAP, FRET, and PET.
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...
Protein Diffusion in the Membrane01:24

Protein Diffusion in the Membrane

Proteins show rotational as well as lateral diffusion across the membrane. The lateral diffusion of proteins was confirmed through the cell fusion experiment where mouse and human cells were fused, resulting in hybrid cells. When the human and mouse cells fused, the specific membrane proteins on human and mouse cells were marked with the red and green-fluorescent markers, respectively. Initially, the red and green fluorescence was located on the respective hemisphere of the cell. As time...
Membrane Fluidity01:26

Membrane Fluidity

Membrane fluidity is explained by the fluid mosaic model of the cell membrane, which describes the plasma membrane structure as a mosaic of components—including phospholipids, cholesterol, proteins, and carbohydrates—that gives the membrane a fluid character.
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...
Cell Motility through Blebbing01:16

Cell Motility through Blebbing

Blebs are a type of membrane protrusion formed by the internal hydrostatic pressure of the cytoplasm. Blebs are observed in several cell types, including fibroblasts, immune cells, and single-celled organisms like the amoeba. The primary function of blebs is cell locomotion and apoptosis, but they are also found during necrosis and cell division. The life cycle of a bleb comprises an initiation phase followed by the expansion and retraction phases.
Blebbing Through the Matrix
In multicellular...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Protein-enhanced small molecule disruptors of ordered membrane domains.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same author

Structural basis of caveolin-driven membrane bending.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

Analysis of Protein and Lipid Dynamics Using Confocal Fluorescence Recovery After Photobleaching.

Current protocols·2026
Same author

Pharmacological tools to modulate ordered membrane domains and order-dependent protein function.

Communications chemistry·2026
Same author

Pharmacological Tools to Modulate Ordered Membrane Domains and Order-Dependent Protein Function.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2025
Same author

Evolutionarily diverse caveolins share a common structural framework built around amphipathic disks.

The Journal of cell biology·2025
Same journal

Cumulative Contents.

Biochimica et biophysica acta·2020
Same journal

Molecular Basis of Disease Cumulative Contents.

Biochimica et biophysica acta·2020
Same journal

General Subjects Cumulative Contents.

Biochimica et biophysica acta·2020
Same journal

Erratum to 'on the role of exchangeable hydrogen bonds for the kinetics of P680<sup>+·</sup> Q<sub>A</sub> <sup>-·</sup> formation and P680<sup>+·</sup> Pheo<sup>-·</sup> recombination in photosystem II' [Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1276 (1996) 35-44].

Biochimica et biophysica acta·2019
Same journal

Oligomeric state of the light-harvesting complexes B800-850 and B875 from purple bacterium Rubrivivax gelatinosus in detergent solution.

Biochimica et biophysica acta·2019
Same journal

Regulation of pigment content and enzyme activity in the cyanobacterium Nostoc sp. Mac grown in continuous light, a light-dark photoperiod, or darkness.

Biochimica et biophysica acta·2019
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 27, 2026

Neutron Spin Echo Spectroscopy as a Unique Probe for Lipid Membrane Dynamics and Membrane-Protein Interactions
10:02

Neutron Spin Echo Spectroscopy as a Unique Probe for Lipid Membrane Dynamics and Membrane-Protein Interactions

Published on: May 27, 2021

Tracking microdomain dynamics in cell membranes.

Charles A Day1, Anne K Kenworthy

  • 1Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, USA.

Biochimica Et Biophysica Acta
|December 2, 2008
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Cell membrane studies reveal distinct domains that compartmentalize cellular functions. This review focuses on lipid rafts and their impact on protein and lipid diffusion within cell membranes.

More Related Videos

Mass-Sensitive Particle Tracking to Characterize Membrane-Associated Macromolecule Dynamics
13:30

Mass-Sensitive Particle Tracking to Characterize Membrane-Associated Macromolecule Dynamics

Published on: February 18, 2022

Single-Molecule Imaging of Lateral Mobility and Ion Channel Activity in Lipid Bilayers using Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence (TIRF) Microscopy
08:55

Single-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 Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 27, 2026

Neutron Spin Echo Spectroscopy as a Unique Probe for Lipid Membrane Dynamics and Membrane-Protein Interactions
10:02

Neutron Spin Echo Spectroscopy as a Unique Probe for Lipid Membrane Dynamics and Membrane-Protein Interactions

Published on: May 27, 2021

Mass-Sensitive Particle Tracking to Characterize Membrane-Associated Macromolecule Dynamics
13:30

Mass-Sensitive Particle Tracking to Characterize Membrane-Associated Macromolecule Dynamics

Published on: February 18, 2022

Single-Molecule Imaging of Lateral Mobility and Ion Channel Activity in Lipid Bilayers using Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence (TIRF) Microscopy
08:55

Single-Molecule Imaging of Lateral Mobility and Ion Channel Activity in Lipid Bilayers using Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence (TIRF) Microscopy

Published on: February 17, 2023

Area of Science:

  • Cellular Biology
  • Membrane Biology
  • Biophysics

Background:

  • Studies of protein and lipid diffusion in plasma membranes suggest the existence of membrane domains.
  • Characterizing structures impeding diffusion and understanding membrane compartmentalization's cellular consequences remain significant challenges in membrane biology.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To summarize characterized membrane domain classes.
  • To highlight recent efforts in identifying lipid raft properties through protein and lipid diffusion measurements.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on membrane domains.
  • Analysis of studies measuring protein and lipid diffusion in cell membranes.
  • Focus on techniques used to identify lipid raft characteristics.

Main Results:

  • Overview of different classes of membrane domains identified to date.
  • Emphasis on the role of lipid rafts in membrane compartmentalization.
  • Data on how protein and lipid diffusion are affected by these domains.

Conclusions:

  • Membrane domains, particularly lipid rafts, play a crucial role in regulating cellular processes.
  • Understanding diffusion dynamics within these domains is key to deciphering cellular functions.
  • Further research into lipid raft properties will illuminate membrane organization and dynamics.