Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 16, 2026

Spot Variation Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy for Analysis of Molecular Diffusion at the Plasma Membrane of Living Cells
Published on: November 12, 2020
Sub-resolution lipid domains exist in the plasma membrane and regulate protein diffusion and distribution
Dylan M Owen1, David J Williamson, Astrid Magenau
1Centre for Vascular Research and Australian Centre for Nanomedicine, University of New South Wales, High Street, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia.
This study provides direct evidence for distinct lipid domains in live cell membranes, showing ordered domains regulate protein behavior. These findings support a new model of plasma membrane organization.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Biophysics
- Membrane Biology
Background:
- Lipid microdomains are hypothesized regulators of membrane processes but lack direct evidence.
- Their existence and function in live cells remain controversial, hindering a complete understanding of membrane organization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide direct evidence for the existence and composition of lipid microdomains in live cell plasma membranes.
- To investigate the impact of these domains on transmembrane protein diffusion and clustering.
Main Methods:
- Utilized environmentally sensitive membrane dyes and fluorescence lifetime decays (phasor analysis) to quantify lipid domain composition.
- Employed super-resolution microscopy to analyze the behavior of the transmembrane protein Linker for Activation of T cells (LAT).
Main Results:
- Demonstrated that live cell plasma membranes consist of approximately 76% ordered and 24% disordered lipid domains.
- Showed that ordered domains significantly retard LAT protein diffusion and decrease its clustering within mesoscale domains.
Conclusions:
- Proposed a novel plasma membrane model where cholesterol-dependent ordered lipid domains dominate and influence the distribution and movement of membrane constituents.
- These findings offer direct support for the role of lipid microdomains in regulating cellular processes.
More Related Videos
08:55Single-Molecule Imaging of Lateral Mobility and Ion Channel Activity in Lipid Bilayers using Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence (TIRF) Microscopy
Published on: February 17, 2023
07:26Single-molecule Super-resolution Imaging of Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate in the Plasma Membrane with Novel Fluorescent Probes
Published on: October 15, 2016
Related Concept Videos
Membrane Domains
Protein Domains
The membrane comprises a group of distinct proteins responsible for carrying out a cell's specific function. For example, the plasma membrane of the human sperm, or a single germ cell, contains a unique set of proteins in the anterior...
Mechanisms of Membrane Domain Formation
Another mechanism for membrane domain formation involves membrane proteins interacting with cytoskeletal...
Protein Diffusion in the Membrane
Membrane Fluidity
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
Assembly of the Lipid Bilayer in the ER
A large chunk of any biological membrane is composed of phospholipids. These lipids have a heterogeneous distribution across different subcellular organelles and even between...