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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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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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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 25, 2026

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

Published on: May 27, 2021

Tuning membrane phase separation using nonlipid amphiphiles.

Hari S Muddana1, Homer H Chiang, Peter J Butler

  • 1Department of Bioengineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA.

Biophysical Journal
|February 14, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Non-lipid molecules like vitamin E, benzyl alcohol, and Triton-X can control lipid phase separation in cell membranes. These findings offer new ways to manipulate membrane domains for biological signaling and protein sorting.

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Last Updated: May 25, 2026

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

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Published on: May 27, 2021

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10:08

Phase Behavior of Charged Vesicles Under Symmetric and Asymmetric Solution Conditions Monitored with Fluorescence Microscopy

Published on: October 24, 2017

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Biophysics
  • Computational Biology

Background:

  • Lipid phase separation is crucial for membrane protein sorting and cellular signaling.
  • Understanding how non-lipid molecules influence lipid phase separation is key to developing new tools for membrane manipulation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effects of vitamin E (VE), Triton X-100 (TX), and benzyl alcohol (BA) on lipid phase separation in model membranes.
  • To elucidate the mechanisms by which these amphiphiles induce or inhibit phase separation using molecular dynamics simulations.

Main Methods:

  • Coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations of lipid bilayers composed of DPPC and DUPC.
  • Quantification of additive partitioning, membrane thickness, and lipid order.
  • Comparison of simulation results with experimental observations.

Main Results:

  • Vitamin E (VE) dispersed lipid domains by favoring DPPC-rich phases and acting as a linactant.
  • Benzyl alcohol (BA) promoted phase separation by decreasing lipid order and thinning membranes in DUPC-rich phases.
  • Triton X-100 (TX) strongly promoted phase separation by increasing hydrophobic mismatch between lipid phases.

Conclusions:

  • Non-lipid amphiphiles offer tunable control over membrane lipid domain formation.
  • These molecules provide novel tools for manipulating membrane properties in model systems and potentially in cells.
  • The study deepens the understanding of lipid-protein interactions and membrane-mediated signaling pathways.