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Related Concept Videos

Membrane Fluidity01:23

Membrane Fluidity

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.
Membrane Fluidity01:26

Membrane Fluidity

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...
Mechanisms of Membrane Domain Formation00:59

Mechanisms of Membrane Domain Formation

Different physical properties of lipids and proteins allow them to localize and form distinct islands or domains in the membrane. Some membrane domains are formed due to protein-protein interactions, whereas others are formed due to the presence of specific lipids such as sphingolipids and sterols—for example, large proteins, such as bacteriorhodopsin, aggregate and create distinct domains.
Another mechanism for membrane domain formation involves membrane proteins interacting with cytoskeletal...
Fluid Mosaic Model01:19

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...
Mechanisms of Membrane-bending01:15

Mechanisms of Membrane-bending

The living membranes are flexible due to their fluid mosaic nature; however, their bending into different shapes is an active process regulated by specific lipids and proteins. The membrane bending can be transient as seen in vesicles or stable for a long time as in microvilli. Cells regulate the size, location, and duration of the membrane curvature.
Membrane bending can happen due to intrinsic changes in lipid composition or extrinsic association with different proteins. The proteins involved...
Crystal Growth: Principles of Crystallization01:25

Crystal Growth: Principles of Crystallization

Crystallization is a phase transformation process in which crystals are precipitated from a supersaturated solution or formed from other sources. During crystallization, atoms or molecules arrange themselves into a well-defined, rigid crystal lattice to minimize energy.
Initiating crystallization involves manipulating the concentration of the solute and the temperature of the solution. Since crystal growth occurs when the ratio of concentration and solubility of the solute in the solvent – the...

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Related Experiment Video

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Crystallization of Membrane Proteins in Lipidic Mesophases
11:53

Crystallization of Membrane Proteins in Lipidic Mesophases

Published on: March 28, 2011

Molecular crystallization controlled by pH regulates mesoscopic membrane morphology.

Cheuk-Yui Leung1, Liam C Palmer, Bao Fu Qiao

  • 1Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA.

ACS Nano
|November 29, 2012
PubMed
Summary

Researchers controlled the shapes of self-assembled molecular structures by adjusting pH. This pH control influences ionic amphiphile interactions, leading to diverse crystalline geometries like vesicles and ribbons.

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Crystallizing Membrane Proteins for Structure Determination using Lipidic Mesophases
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Harvesting and Cryo-cooling Crystals of Membrane Proteins Grown in Lipidic Mesophases for Structure Determination by Macromolecular Crystallography

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Crystallization of Membrane Proteins in Lipidic Mesophases
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Crystallization of Membrane Proteins in Lipidic Mesophases

Published on: March 28, 2011

Crystallizing Membrane Proteins for Structure Determination using Lipidic Mesophases
22:00

Crystallizing Membrane Proteins for Structure Determination using Lipidic Mesophases

Published on: November 21, 2010

Harvesting and Cryo-cooling Crystals of Membrane Proteins Grown in Lipidic Mesophases for Structure Determination by Macromolecular Crystallography
18:45

Harvesting and Cryo-cooling Crystals of Membrane Proteins Grown in Lipidic Mesophases for Structure Determination by Macromolecular Crystallography

Published on: September 2, 2012

Area of Science:

  • Supramolecular chemistry
  • Materials science
  • Nanotechnology

Background:

  • Controlling the morphology and symmetry of coassembled molecular structures is a significant challenge in self-assembly design.
  • Multicomponent systems offer a route to complex structures but require precise control over assembly processes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate methods for controlling the crystal symmetries and morphologies of coassembled ionic bilayers.
  • To understand the role of pH in directing the self-assembly of ionic amphiphiles into various geometries.

Main Methods:

  • Coassembly of +3 and -1 ionic amphiphiles.
  • Characterization using Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Small-Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS), and Wide-Angle X-ray Scattering (WAXS).
  • Atomistic and coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations.

Main Results:

  • Formation of crystalline ionic bilayers with diverse geometries, including polyhedral shells and archaea wall-like envelopes.
  • pH-dependent structural transitions: 2D hexagonal packing at low/high pH (vesicles) and rectangular-C packing at intermediate pH (ribbons).
  • Observation of bilayer leaflet interdigitation with increasing pH and pH-dependent changes in bilayer thickness.

Conclusions:

  • pH is a critical factor in controlling the morphology of ionic bilayers by altering amphiphile ionization and electrostatic interactions.
  • Molecular dynamics simulations elucidated pH-dependent thickness changes and revealed the mechanism of curved-to-polyhedral shape transitions.
  • Tail density modulation in specific regions, influenced by pH, dictates the formation of polyhedral edges and overall morphology.