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Updated: Apr 27, 2026

Pulling Membrane Nanotubes from Giant Unilamellar Vesicles
Published on: December 7, 2017
Mechanisms of membrane curvature generation in membrane traffic
Hye-Won Shin1, Hiroyuki Takatsu2, Kazuhisa Nakayama3
1Career-Path Promotion Unit for Young Life Scientists, Kyoto University, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan. shin@cp.kyoto-u.ac.jp.
Abstract:
During the vesicular trafficking process, cellular membranes undergo dynamic morphological changes, in particular at the vesicle generation and fusion steps. Changes in membrane shape are regulated by small GTPases, coat proteins and other accessory proteins, such as BAR domain-containing proteins. In addition, membrane deformation entails changes in the lipid composition as well as asymmetric distribution of lipids over the two leaflets of the membrane bilayer. Given that P4-ATPases, which catalyze unidirectional flipping of lipid molecules from the exoplasmic to the cytoplasmic leaflets of the bilayer, are crucial for the trafficking of proteins in the secretory and endocytic pathways, changes in the lipid composition are involved in the vesicular trafficking process. Membrane remodeling is under complex regulation that involves the composition and distribution of lipids as well as assembly of proteins.
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