Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Membrane Fluidity01:23

Membrane Fluidity

179.3K
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.
179.3K
Membrane Fluidity01:26

Membrane Fluidity

17.9K
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...
17.9K
Lipids as Anchors01:32

Lipids as Anchors

8.0K
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.
The carboxy-terminal of most of the prenylated proteins, such as Ras proteins, contains...
8.0K
Asymmetric Lipid Bilayer01:35

Asymmetric Lipid Bilayer

11.0K
Biological membranes show uneven distribution of different types of lipids in the inner and outer layers, resulting in transverse asymmetric membranes. The treatment of the erythrocyte membrane with the enzyme phospholipase confirmed the asymmetric nature of the lipid bilayer. The enzyme hydrolyzes lipids into fatty acids and hydrophilic groups. The phospholipase acts only on the outer layer of the membrane, while the inner layer remains intact. The phospholipase treatment resulted in 80%...
11.0K
Membrane Lipids01:32

Membrane Lipids

35.5K
Lipids are an essential component of all biological membranes. The average lipid content in mammalian membranes is 50%, though it can be as low as 20% in the inner mitochondrial membrane or as high as 80% in the myelin sheath present around the nerve cells.
Phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylserine, and sphingomyelin are the most common phospholipids present in mammalian membranes. At physiological pH, phosphatidylserine is negatively charged, while the other three...
35.5K
Membrane Lipids01:32

Membrane Lipids

16.0K
16.0K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Correction to "Efficient Protein-Ligand Binding Free Energy Estimation with Coarse-Grained Funnel Metadynamics".

Journal of chemical theory and computation·2026
Same author

Coarse-Grained Simulations Reveal Salt- and Length-Dependent Condensation of G4C2 RNA Repeats.

The journal of physical chemistry letters·2026
Same author

Martini 3 Metabolome.

Journal of chemical theory and computation·2026
Same author

Machine Learning-Assisted Phase Diagram Determination in Aqueous Two-Phase Systems.

Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids·2026
Same author

Condensates as Conformation Editors of Disordered Client Proteins.

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2026
Same author

An optimized contact map for GōMartini 3 enabling conformational changes in protein assemblies.

Biophysical journal·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 30, 2026

Author Spotlight: Advancing Cell Membrane Biophysics - Exploring Interactions and Challenges Through Experimental and Computational Approaches
07:31

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

Published on: September 1, 2023

3.4K

Martini Force Field Parameters for Glycolipids.

César A López1, Zofie Sovova2, Floris J van Eerden1

  • 1Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology (GBB) Institute and Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands.

Journal of Chemical Theory and Computation
|November 21, 2015
PubMed
Summary

We expanded the Martini force field to include various glycolipids, enabling large-scale simulations of their biological roles. This coarse-grained model accurately reproduces membrane properties and glycosidic linkage conformations.

More Related Videos

SNARE-mediated Fusion of Single Proteoliposomes with Tethered Supported Bilayers in a Microfluidic Flow Cell Monitored by Polarized TIRF Microscopy
10:58

SNARE-mediated Fusion of Single Proteoliposomes with Tethered Supported Bilayers in a Microfluidic Flow Cell Monitored by Polarized TIRF Microscopy

Published on: August 24, 2016

11.5K
Atomic Force Microscopy Cantilever-Based Nanoindentation: Mechanical Property Measurements at the Nanoscale in Air and Fluid
08:58

Atomic Force Microscopy Cantilever-Based Nanoindentation: Mechanical Property Measurements at the Nanoscale in Air and Fluid

Published on: December 2, 2022

3.9K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 30, 2026

Author Spotlight: Advancing Cell Membrane Biophysics - Exploring Interactions and Challenges Through Experimental and Computational Approaches
07:31

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

Published on: September 1, 2023

3.4K
SNARE-mediated Fusion of Single Proteoliposomes with Tethered Supported Bilayers in a Microfluidic Flow Cell Monitored by Polarized TIRF Microscopy
10:58

SNARE-mediated Fusion of Single Proteoliposomes with Tethered Supported Bilayers in a Microfluidic Flow Cell Monitored by Polarized TIRF Microscopy

Published on: August 24, 2016

11.5K
Atomic Force Microscopy Cantilever-Based Nanoindentation: Mechanical Property Measurements at the Nanoscale in Air and Fluid
08:58

Atomic Force Microscopy Cantilever-Based Nanoindentation: Mechanical Property Measurements at the Nanoscale in Air and Fluid

Published on: December 2, 2022

3.9K

Area of Science:

  • Computational Chemistry
  • Biophysics
  • Molecular Dynamics

Background:

  • Glycolipids are crucial for cell membrane structure and function.
  • Accurate molecular modeling of glycolipids is essential for understanding biological processes.
  • Existing force fields require extensions to effectively model diverse glycolipid structures.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To extend the Martini coarse-grained force field to encompass a range of biologically relevant glycolipids.
  • To develop accurate parameters for glycoglycerolipids and glycosphingolipids.
  • To enable large-scale molecular simulations involving glycolipids.

Main Methods:

  • Parametrization of glycolipids based on partitioning free energies and atomistic simulations.
  • Optimization of bonded parameters to capture key conformational states, especially around the glycosidic linkage.
  • Coarse-grained simulations of glycolipid model membranes.

Main Results:

  • The extended Martini force field accurately models various glycolipids, including MGDG, SQDG, DGDG, PI, PIP, PIP2, GCER, and GM1.
  • Simulations show good agreement with atomistic simulations and experimental data for membrane structural properties.
  • Key properties like electron densities, area per lipid, and membrane thickness are well-reproduced.

Conclusions:

  • The developed coarse-grained model provides a powerful tool for simulating complex biological systems involving glycolipids.
  • This advancement facilitates research into glycolipid-mediated processes such as molecular recognition, sorting, and clustering.
  • Opens new avenues for studying protein-glycolipid interactions at the membrane interface.