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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%...
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...
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...
Assembly of the Lipid Bilayer in the ER01:28

Assembly of the Lipid Bilayer in the ER

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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Membrane Lipids01:32

Membrane Lipids

Lipids are an essential component of all biological membranes. The average lipid content in mammalian membranes is 50%, though it can be as low as 20% in the inner mitochondrial membrane or as high as 80% in the myelin sheath present around the nerve cells.
Phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylserine, and sphingomyelin are the most common phospholipids present in mammalian membranes. At physiological pH, phosphatidylserine is negatively charged, while the other three...
Membrane Asymmetry Regulating Transporters01:19

Membrane Asymmetry Regulating Transporters

Enzymes like flippase, floppase, and scramblase transfer phospholipids from one layer to another in the membrane, thereby affecting membrane asymmetry.
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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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 23, 2026

Fluorescence-Based Measurements of Phosphatidylserine/Phosphatidylinositol 4-Phosphate Exchange Between Membranes
08:49

Fluorescence-Based Measurements of Phosphatidylserine/Phosphatidylinositol 4-Phosphate Exchange Between Membranes

Published on: March 14, 2021

Phosphatidylserine dynamics in cellular membranes.

Jason G Kay1, Mirkka Koivusalo, Xiaoxiao Ma

  • 1Cell Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.

Molecular Biology of the Cell
|April 13, 2012
PubMed
Summary

New fluorescent probes reveal phosphatidylserine (PS) dynamics within live cells. Limited PS mobility in the plasma membrane is linked to actin, and PS is found in the endoplasmic reticulum lumen.

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Last Updated: May 23, 2026

Fluorescence-Based Measurements of Phosphatidylserine/Phosphatidylinositol 4-Phosphate Exchange Between Membranes
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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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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

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Exofacial phosphatidylserine (PS) is crucial for apoptosis and blood clotting, typically studied using annexin V.
  • Annexin V's limitations (impermeability, low calcium binding) hinder intracellular PS analysis.
  • The topology and dynamics of PS in normal cell endomembranes remain largely unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the distribution and dynamics of phosphatidylserine (PS) within live cells using novel fluorescent probes.
  • To explore the intracellular localization and mobility of PS in endomembrane organelles.
  • To elucidate the role of cellular structures, like cortical actin, in regulating PS localization.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized two novel fluorescent probes: GFP-LactC2 (genetically encoded biosensor) and TopFluor-PS (synthetic analogue).
  • Employed advanced optical techniques including single-particle tracking and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy to assess PS mobility.
  • Targeted GFP-LactC2 to the secretory pathway to examine PS in endomembranes.

Main Results:

  • Identified a significant fraction of PS with restricted mobility in the plasma membrane, influenced by cortical actin.
  • Measured the dynamics of PS within endomembrane organelles.
  • Detected PS in the luminal leaflet of the endoplasmic reticulum.

Conclusions:

  • Novel fluorescent probes provide unprecedented insights into intracellular PS properties.
  • Cortical actin plays a role in confining PS within the plasma membrane.
  • PS is present in the endoplasmic reticulum lumen, suggesting novel functions and distribution mechanisms.