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Related Concept Videos

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...
What are Membranes?01:24

What are Membranes?

A cell's plasma membrane demarcates the cell's borders and determines the nature of its interaction with the environment. Cells exclude certain substances, take in others, and excrete some others in controlled quantities. The plasma membrane must be flexible to allow certain cells, such as red and white blood cells, to change their shape while passing through narrow capillaries. These are the more obvious plasma membrane functions. In addition, the plasma membrane's surface carries markers that...
What are Membranes?01:54

What are Membranes?

A key characteristic of life is the ability to separate the external environment from the internal space. To do this, cells have evolved semi-permeable membranes that regulate the passage of biological molecules. Additionally, the cell membrane defines a cell’s shape and interactions with the external environment. Eukaryotic cell membranes also serve to compartmentalize the internal space into organelles, including the endomembrane structures of the nucleus, endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi...
What are Membranes?01:24

What are Membranes?

A cell's plasma membrane demarcates the cell's borders and determines the nature of its interaction with the environment. Cells exclude certain substances, take in others, and excrete some others in controlled quantities. The plasma membrane must be flexible to allow certain cells, such as red and white blood cells, to change their shape while passing through narrow capillaries. These are the more obvious plasma membrane functions. In addition, the plasma membrane's surface carries markers that...
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...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 9, 2026

Single Molecule Methods for Monitoring Changes in Bilayer Elastic Properties
12:20

Single Molecule Methods for Monitoring Changes in Bilayer Elastic Properties

Published on: November 3, 2008

Membrane elastic properties and cell function.

Bruno Pontes1, Yareni Ayala, Anna Carolina C Fonseca

  • 1LPO-COPEA, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Plos One
|July 12, 2013
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Cell membrane

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Pulling Membrane Nanotubes from Giant Unilamellar Vesicles
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Published on: December 7, 2017

Area of Science:

  • Biophysics
  • Cell Biology
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • The cell membrane and cytoskeleton interplay is crucial for cell function and force regulation.
  • Understanding the mechanical properties of the cell membrane is key to deciphering cell behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between cell membrane elastic properties (surface tension, bending modulus) and cell function.
  • To measure these properties in various central nervous system cell types and macrophages.

Main Methods:

  • Utilizing optical tweezers to pull tethers from cell membranes.
  • Measuring membrane surface tension and bending modulus.
  • Analyzing elastic constants in astrocytes, glioblastoma cells, neurons, microglia, and macrophages.

Main Results:

  • Astrocytes and glioblastoma cells exhibit higher surface tensions than neurons.
  • Resting microglia show the highest elastic constants, comparable to resting macrophages.
  • Microglia and macrophages display a significant decrease in bending modulus upon activation, facilitating phagocytosis.
  • F-actin presence was confirmed in pure cell membrane tethers, challenging existing notions.

Conclusions:

  • Cell membrane elastic properties are closely linked to specific cell functions.
  • The mechanical adaptability of microglia and macrophages is vital for their phagocytic roles.
  • The study reveals novel insights into the mechanical regulation of cell function and the role of F-actin in cell membranes.