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Related Concept Videos

Phosphoinositides and PIPs01:42

Phosphoinositides and PIPs

Phosphoinositides are a group of phospholipids containing a glycerol backbone with two fatty acid chains and a phosphate attached to a myoinositol sugar ring. The inositol head group extends into the cytoplasm, where it is modified by adding phosphate groups to form phosphatidylinositol phosphates or PIPs.
Different phosphoinositides are synthesized and recruited on the cytosolic face of the plasma membrane. The localization of specific phosphoinositides concentrated in separate membrane...
What are Lipids?01:38

What are Lipids?

Overview
What are Lipids?01:31

What are Lipids?

Lipids function as structural components of cellular membranes, in addition to acting as energy reservoirs and signaling molecules. They are thus crucial to all living organisms.  The three biologically important classes of lipids are triglycerides, phospholipids, and steroids.
Non-Polar and Hydrophobic Characteristics of Lipids
Lipids are a structurally and functionally diverse group of hydrocarbons—compounds consisting of carbon and hydrogen atoms. The carbon-carbon and carbon-hydrogen bonds...
Synthesis of Phosphatidylcholine in the ER Membrane01:27

Synthesis of Phosphatidylcholine in the ER Membrane

The ER synthesizes lipids for building cell membranes and performing cellular functions such as energy storage and signaling. The lipid synthesis machinery embedded in the ER membrane primarily collects all reactants from the cytosol. Following synthesis, the secretory pathway and the ER contact sites distribute these lipids to other cellular organelles. Additionally, the energy-rich triacylglycerides are transported from the ER via lipid droplets.
The major components of all eukaryotic cell...
Phosphorylation01:02

Phosphorylation

The addition or removal of phosphate groups from proteins is the most common chemical modification that regulates cellular processes. These modifications can affect the structure, activity, stability, and localization of proteins within cells as well as their interactions with other proteins.
During phosphorylation, protein kinases transfer the terminal phosphate group of ATP to specific amino acid side chains of substrate proteins. Serine, threonine, and tyrosine are the most commonly...
Lipids as Anchors01:32

Lipids as Anchors

In the plasma membrane, the lipids forming the bilayer can also act as an anchor to tether proteins to the membrane. The three main types of lipid anchors found in eukaryotes are – prenyl groups, fatty acyl groups, and glycosylphosphatidylinositol or GPI groups. Prenyl and fatty acyl groups act as anchors on the cytosolic surface of the membrane, whereas GPI anchors proteins on the extracellular side.
The carboxy-terminal of most of the prenylated proteins, such as Ras proteins, contains the...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 25, 2026

A Liposome Membrane Permeability Assay for Investigating the Effects of Phosphatidylinositol Phosphate Groups on Membranotropic Action of Venom PLA2
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A Liposome Membrane Permeability Assay for Investigating the Effects of Phosphatidylinositol Phosphate Groups on Membranotropic Action of Venom PLA2

Published on: September 26, 2025

Putting the 'P' into phospholipids.

Illya A Fedotenko1, Margaret N Holme, Radu Tanasescu

  • 1University of Geneva, Department of Organic Chemistry, Quai Ernest-Ansermet 30, CH-1211 Geneva 4, Switzerland.

Chimia
|February 1, 2012
PubMed
Summary

Synthesizing phospholipids is difficult despite extensive research. This review explores trends and future directions for creating novel membrane probes, including an improved liposome protocol.

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PIP-on-a-chip: A Label-free Study of Protein-phosphoinositide Interactions
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Single-molecule Super-resolution Imaging of Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate in the Plasma Membrane with Novel Fluorescent Probes
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PIP-on-a-chip: A Label-free Study of Protein-phosphoinositide Interactions

Published on: July 27, 2017

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Organic Chemistry
  • Membrane Biology

Background:

  • Phospholipid synthesis has been a persistent challenge for nearly a century.
  • Understanding membrane environments requires advanced phospholipid probes.
  • Current synthetic methods face limitations in efficiency and scope.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review significant trends in phospholipid synthesis research.
  • To identify promising future directions for developing novel membrane probes.
  • To present an optimized protocol for liposome purification and concentration.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of key developments in phospholipid synthesis.
  • Analysis of emerging synthetic strategies and their potential applications.
  • Description of an improved protocol for liposome preparation.

Main Results:

  • Identification of key historical and current trends in phospholipid synthesis.
  • Outlined potential future research avenues for creating new membrane probes.
  • Demonstrated an effective method for enhancing liposome purification and concentration.

Conclusions:

  • Phospholipid synthesis remains a complex but evolving field.
  • Future research holds promise for developing sophisticated membrane environment probes.
  • The presented liposome protocol offers practical improvements for researchers.