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Related Concept Videos

Protein Diffusion in the Membrane01:24

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...
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Facilitated Diffusion01:16

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The plasma membrane, a critical structure in cellular biology, houses an array of transporters, or carrier proteins, interspersed within its lipid bilayer. These proteins play a crucial role in solute transport through facilitated diffusion, a form of passive diffusion that uses transporters to move the molecules across the membrane.
In this process, substrates such as organic compounds and ions interact with a transporter on one side, triggering conformational changes in proteins that enable...
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Facilitated Transport01:19

Facilitated Transport

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The chemical and physical properties of plasma membranes cause them to be selectively permeable. Since plasma membranes have both hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions, substances need to be able to transverse both regions. The hydrophobic area of membranes repels substances such as charged ions. Therefore, such substances need special membrane proteins to cross a membrane successfully. In  facilitated transport, also known as facilitated diffusion, molecules and ions travel across a...
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Facilitated Transport01:19

Facilitated Transport

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The chemical and physical properties of plasma membranes cause them to be selectively permeable. Since plasma membranes have both hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions, substances need to be able to transverse both regions. The hydrophobic area of membranes repels substances such as charged ions. Therefore, such substances need special membrane proteins to cross a membrane successfully. In  facilitated transport, also known as facilitated diffusion, molecules and ions travel across a...
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Membrane Asymmetry Regulating Transporters01:19

Membrane Asymmetry Regulating Transporters

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Enzymes like flippase, floppase, and scramblase transfer phospholipids from one layer to another in the membrane, thereby affecting membrane asymmetry.
Flippase
Eukaryotic flippases are type-IV P-type ATPases or P4-ATPases belonging to P-type ATPase family proteins that are membrane-bound pumps involved in the ATP-mediated transport of ions and molecules across the membrane. Flippases flip specific phospholipids from the outer to the inner leaflet of a membrane. All P4-ATPases have one...
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Enlargement of the Plasma Membrane01:22

Enlargement of the Plasma Membrane

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Cell division and enlargement are processes that require precise control. The control ensures that cell division cannot proceed unless the cell has grown to a specific size. A spherical, dividing cell requires an approximately 1.6X increase in its surface area to double its volume. The secretory pathway also has a significant role in cell membrane enlargement. Secretory vesicles that bud off from the Golgi apparatus and later fuse with the plasma membrane during exocytosis are a major source of...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 11, 2026

Spot Variation Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy for Analysis of Molecular Diffusion at the Plasma Membrane of Living Cells
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Spot Variation Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy for Analysis of Molecular Diffusion at the Plasma Membrane of Living Cells

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Mechanisms underlying anomalous diffusion in the plasma membrane.

Diego Krapf1

  • 1Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and School of Biomedical Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA.

Current Topics in Membranes
|May 28, 2015
PubMed
Summary

Cell membrane diffusion is typically anomalous, deviating from linear time-based movement. This chapter explores models like fractional Brownian motion and continuous time random walks to explain this complex lipid and protein behavior.

Keywords:
Cell membraneContinuous time random walkFractional Brownian motionMSDSingle-particle trackingSubdiffusion

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Area of Science:

  • Cell biology
  • Biophysics
  • Physical chemistry

Background:

  • The plasma membrane is a dynamic fluid essential for cellular functions.
  • Lipid and protein diffusion within the membrane is critical for biochemical reactions.
  • Anomalous diffusion, where mean squared displacement is non-linear with time, is commonly observed.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To describe models explaining anomalous diffusion in the plasma membrane.
  • To review experimental evidence supporting these models.
  • To highlight recent interest in heterogeneous diffusion processes.

Main Methods:

  • Quantitative imaging analyses, including single-particle tracking.
  • Review of theoretical models for anomalous diffusion.
  • Analysis of experimental data from plasma membrane studies.

Main Results:

  • Anomalous diffusion is a hallmark of plasma membrane dynamics.
  • Models such as fractional Brownian motion, obstructed diffusion, and continuous time random walks explain observed diffusion patterns.
  • Evidence supports the transient formation of distinct membrane compartments.

Conclusions:

  • Anomalous diffusion models provide crucial insights into plasma membrane behavior.
  • Understanding these dynamics is key to comprehending cellular biochemical reactions.
  • Heterogeneous diffusion processes represent a significant area of ongoing research.