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Lipids as Anchors

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In the plasma membrane, the lipids forming the bilayer can also act as an anchor to tether proteins to the membrane. The three main types of lipid anchors found in eukaryotes are – prenyl groups, fatty acyl groups, and glycosylphosphatidylinositol or GPI groups. Prenyl and fatty acyl groups act as anchors on the cytosolic surface of the membrane, whereas GPI anchors proteins on the extracellular side.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 5, 2026

Author Spotlight: Advancing Cell Membrane Biophysics - Exploring Interactions and Challenges Through Experimental and Computational Approaches

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Understanding physical developer (PD): Part I--Is PD targeting lipids?

Mackenzie de la Hunty¹, Sébastien Moret¹, Scott Chadwick¹

¹Centre for Forensic Science, University of Technology Sydney, PO Box 123, Broadway, NSW 2007, Australia.

Forensic Science International

|August 19, 2015

Summary

Physical developer (PD) targets eccrine secretions, not lipids, for fingermark visualization on porous surfaces. This forensic technique

Keywords:

Fingermark development Latent fingermarks Physical developer Porous surfaces

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Published on: January 11, 2017

Area of Science:

Forensic Science
Analytical Chemistry
Biochemistry

Background:

Physical developer (PD) is a fingermark development technique.
It is known to work on porous substrates, even after wetting.
The prevailing hypothesis is that PD targets water-insoluble residue components.

Purpose of the Study:

To test the hypothesis that PD targets water-insoluble fingermark constituents.
To identify the specific components within fingermark residue that PD reacts with.
To understand the mechanism behind PD's effectiveness.

Main Methods:

Spot tests of fatty acids, cholesterol, and squalene with PD.
Deposition of fingermarks on paper, followed by washing with organic solvents.
Treatment of prepared fingermarks with PD.
Visualization of lipid removal using Nile red stain.
Microscopic observation of silver deposition patterns.

Main Results:

Cholesterol showed some silver deposition, but degrades over time, indicating it's not the sole target.
PD effectiveness was reduced by solvent washing, especially those removing water-soluble components.
Solvent-treated samples, despite lipid removal, could still be developed, contradicting the lipid-targeting hypothesis.
Variations in silver deposition at pore sites suggested eccrine constituents play a role.

Conclusions:

PD does not solely target lipids in fingermark residue.
PD appears to target eccrine constituents or a combination of eccrine and lipid components.
Further research is needed to fully elucidate PD's targets for technique improvement.