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Protein Diffusion in the Membrane

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Proteins show rotational as well as lateral diffusion across the membrane. The lateral diffusion of proteins was confirmed through the cell fusion experiment where mouse and human cells were fused, resulting in hybrid cells. When the human and mouse cells fused, the specific membrane proteins on human and mouse cells were marked with the red and green-fluorescent markers, respectively. Initially, the red and green fluorescence was located on the respective hemisphere of the cell. As time...

Membrane Fluidity

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Membrane fluidity is explained by the fluid mosaic model of the cell membrane, which describes the plasma membrane structure as a mosaic of components—including phospholipids, cholesterol, proteins, and carbohydrates—that gives the membrane a fluid character.
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...

Membrane Fluidity

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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.

Fluid Mosaic Model

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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...

Enlargement of the Plasma Membrane

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Flippase
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Updated: May 21, 2026

Membrane Transport Processes Analyzed by a Highly Parallel Nanopore Chip System at Single Protein Resolution

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Published on: August 16, 2016

Transient pore dynamics in pH-responsive liquid membrane.

Takahiko Ban¹, Tomoko Yamagami, Yuki Furumichi

¹Division of Chemical Engineering, Department of Materials Engineering Science, Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, 1-3 Machikaneyama Toyonaka, Osaka 560-8531, Japan. ban@cheng.es.osaka-u.ac.jp

Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids

|June 26, 2012

Summary

Transient pore dynamics in liquid membranes were observed. Holes repeatedly opened and closed with pH changes, revealing insights into membrane tension and viscosity.

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Automated Lipid Bilayer Membrane Formation Using a Polydimethylsiloxane Thin Film

Automated Lipid Bilayer Membrane Formation Using a Polydimethylsiloxane Thin Film

Published on: July 10, 2016

Area of Science:

Physical Chemistry
Materials Science
Chemical Engineering

Background:

Liquid membranes are crucial in various chemical and biological processes.
Understanding their stability and dynamic behavior is essential for applications.
Chemically destabilized membranes present unique phenomena for investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the transient pore dynamics in a chemically destabilized liquid membrane.
To explore the influence of pH on pore behavior at a macroscopic scale.
To determine key physicochemical properties from observed pore dynamics.

Main Methods:

Macroscopic scale investigation of liquid membrane behavior in buffer solutions.
Controlled variation of pH in the surrounding media.
Analysis of transient pore formation and closure dynamics.

Main Results:

Observed repeated opening and closing of pores in response to pH changes.
Pore dynamics were dependent on surfactant concentration (emulsion formation) and membrane size.
Successful estimation of membrane tension, line tension, and membrane viscosity.

Conclusions:

Transient pore dynamics in destabilized liquid membranes are pH-responsive.
These dynamics provide a method for characterizing membrane physicochemical properties.
Findings contribute to the fundamental understanding of liquid membrane behavior.