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Related Concept Videos

Mechanisms of Membrane-bending01:15

Mechanisms of Membrane-bending

The living membranes are flexible due to their fluid mosaic nature; however, their bending into different shapes is an active process regulated by specific lipids and proteins. The membrane bending can be transient as seen in vesicles or stable for a long time as in microvilli. Cells regulate the size, location, and duration of the membrane curvature.
Membrane bending can happen due to intrinsic changes in lipid composition or extrinsic association with different proteins. The proteins involved...
Types of Membrane Protrusions01:28

Types of Membrane Protrusions

The protrusion of the cell surface is an initial step for several cellular processes, including cell migration, phagocytosis, and neurite outgrowth. These membrane protrusions are a result of cytoskeletal rearrangement. The most  widely observed cell protrusions include lamellipodia, pseudopodia, filopodia, microvilli, invadopodia, and podosomes. These protrusions can be of two types — static or dynamic.
The microvilli, an example of stable protrusions, are finger-like projections with a...
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...
Cell Migration01:09

Cell Migration

Cell migration, the process by which cells move from one location to another, is essential for the proper development and viability of organisms throughout their life. When cells are not able to migrate properly to their ordained locations, various disorders may occur. For example, disruption in cell migration causes chronic inflammatory diseases such as arthritis.
Cell Migration01:19

Cell Migration

Cell migration is a process by which the cells move from one location to another, playing an essential role in embryological development, repair and regeneration, immune response, and metastasis. Cells migrate in response to chemical or mechanical signals generated by specific organs or tissues. The overall mechanism includes three steps - polarization, protrusion, and release. Polarization involves the formation of a distinct cell front and rear, which determines the direction of movement.
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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Neutron Spin Echo Spectroscopy as a Unique Probe for Lipid Membrane Dynamics and Membrane-Protein Interactions
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Do membrane undulations help cells probe the world?

Anne Pierres1, Virginie Monnet-Corti, Anne-Marie Benoliel

  • 1INSERM UMR600, Lab. Adhesion & Inflammation, Parc de Luminy, Case 937, 13288 Marseille Cedex 09 France.

Trends in Cell Biology
|August 28, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Cells use dynamic surface undulations to rapidly sense physical environmental cues. This membrane mobility shapes initial cell-surface interactions and influences subsequent cellular responses.

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Last Updated: Jun 20, 2026

Neutron Spin Echo Spectroscopy as a Unique Probe for Lipid Membrane Dynamics and Membrane-Protein Interactions
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Published on: May 27, 2021

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Area of Science:

  • Cell biology
  • Biophysics
  • Mechanobiology

Background:

  • Cells perceive physical environmental factors like rigidity and topography.
  • Cell surfaces exhibit continuous nanometer-scale deformations at Hz frequencies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of spontaneous cell surface deformations in sensing the physical environment.
  • To understand how membrane dynamics influence cell-surface interactions and signaling.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of cell surface deformations.
  • Investigating forces generated during transient cell-surface contacts.
  • Examining the role of binding and steric forces.

Main Results:

  • Cell surface undulations act as a rapid mechanism for acquiring environmental cues.
  • Transient contacts generate piconewton forces via intermolecular bond dynamics.
  • Membrane biomolecule reorganization is driven by combined binding and steric forces, initiating signaling.

Conclusions:

  • Spontaneous membrane mobility is crucial for initial information processing during cell-surface contact.
  • Cellular sensing of the physical environment is intrinsically linked to membrane dynamics.