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Related Concept Videos

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%...
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Flippase
Eukaryotic flippases are type-IV P-type ATPases or P4-ATPases belonging to P-type ATPase family proteins that are membrane-bound pumps involved in the ATP-mediated transport of ions and molecules across the membrane. Flippases flip specific phospholipids from the outer to the inner leaflet of a membrane. All P4-ATPases have one...
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Biological membranes are more than just a barrier separating cell cytoplasm from the outside environment. They are highly dynamic and help maintain the integrity and physiological stability of the cells as well as membrane-bound organelles. Membranes also play vital roles in cell-to-cell and intracellular communication.
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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...
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Cell membranes are composed of phospholipids, proteins, and carbohydrates loosely attached to one another through chemical interactions. Molecules are generally able to move about in the plane of the membrane, giving the membrane its flexible nature called fluidity. Two other features of the membrane contribute to membrane fluidity: the chemical structure of the phospholipids and the presence of cholesterol in the membrane.Fatty acids tails of phospholipids can be either saturated or...
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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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Atomic Force Microscopy Imaging and Force Spectroscopy of Supported Lipid Bilayers
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Published on: July 22, 2015

Dynamic transbilayer lipid asymmetry.

Gerrit van Meer1

  • 1Bijvoet Center and Institute of Biomembranes, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands. g.vanmeer@uu.nl

Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology
|March 26, 2011
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Cellular membranes maintain lipid asymmetry through synthesis and active transport, impacting cell functions. This uneven lipid distribution is crucial for membrane dynamics and vesicle formation.

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Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Biochemistry
  • Membrane Biophysics

Background:

  • Cellular membranes exhibit complex lipid compositions.
  • Lipids are unevenly distributed across the plasma membrane and endomembrane system leaflets.
  • This transmembrane lipid asymmetry is fundamental to membrane function.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To elucidate the mechanisms generating and maintaining transmembrane lipid asymmetry.
  • To explore the functional implications of lipid asymmetry in cellular processes.
  • To understand the roles of lipid synthesis, transport proteins, and lipid-protein interactions.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of lipid synthesis pathways on different membrane surfaces.
  • Investigating the function of P4-ATPases (flippases) and ABC transporters in lipid translocation.
  • Studying the effects of phospholipases and scramblases on lipid distribution.
  • Examining the impact of cholesterol-sphingolipid interactions on membrane structure.

Main Results:

  • Glycerolipids are synthesized on the cytosolic leaflet, while sphingolipids are synthesized on the noncytosolic leaflet.
  • Cholesterol preferentially interacts with sphingolipids, contributing to asymmetry.
  • P4-ATPases actively transport aminophospholipids (phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylethanolamine) to the cytosolic surface.
  • ABC transporters translocate lipids in the opposite direction.
  • Rapid disruption of lipid asymmetry can occur via phospholipase and scramblase activation.

Conclusions:

  • Transmembrane lipid asymmetry is established by differential synthesis, specific lipid-protein interactions, and active lipid transport.
  • This asymmetry is essential for various physiological membrane events.
  • Active lipid translocation contributes to membrane curvature during vesicle budding.