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Related Concept Videos

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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Protein Diffusion in the Membrane01:24

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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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Fluid Mosaic Model01:19

Fluid Mosaic Model

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Scientists identified the plasma membrane in the 1890s and its principal chemical components (lipids and proteins) by 1915. The model for plasma membrane structure, proposed in 1935 by Hugh Davson and James Danielli, was the first model to be widely accepted in the scientific community. The model was based on the plasma membrane's "railroad track" appearance in early electron micrographs. Davson and Danielli theorized that the plasma membrane's structure resembled a sandwich...
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Membrane Fluidity01:26

Membrane Fluidity

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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...
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Membrane Fluidity01:23

Membrane Fluidity

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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.
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What are Membranes?01:24

What are Membranes?

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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...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 8, 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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Navigation through the Plasma Membrane Molecular Landscape Shapes Random Organelle Movement.

Alison R Dun1, Gabriel J Lord2, Rhodri S Wilson1

  • 1Institute of Biological Chemistry, Biophysics and Bioengineering, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh EH14 4AS, UK; Edinburgh Super-Resolution Imaging Consortium.

Current Biology : CB
|January 17, 2017
PubMed
Summary

The plasma membrane

Keywords:
actincytoskeletonexocytosismathematical modelingmicroscopysuper-resolutionvesicle

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Single-Molecule Imaging of Lateral Mobility and Ion Channel Activity in Lipid Bilayers using Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence TIRF Microscopy
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Determining Membrane Protein Topology Using Fluorescence Protease Protection FPP
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Determining Membrane Protein Topology Using Fluorescence Protease Protection FPP

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Related Experiment Videos

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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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Single-Molecule Imaging of Lateral Mobility and Ion Channel Activity in Lipid Bilayers using Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence TIRF Microscopy
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Determining Membrane Protein Topology Using Fluorescence Protease Protection FPP
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Determining Membrane Protein Topology Using Fluorescence Protease Protection FPP

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Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Biophysics

Background:

  • Eukaryotic plasma membrane organization is debated due to limited high-resolution techniques.
  • Clustered membrane proteins, including SNAREs and receptors, are conserved across families.
  • Understanding secretory organelle and plasma membrane interactions is crucial for cell biology.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the model of vesicles guided by cytoskeletal tracks to specific secretion sites on the plasma membrane.
  • To explore the role of lipid composition in organizing secretion machinery.
  • To integrate nanoscopy, spectroscopy, and mathematical modeling to understand vesicle trafficking.

Main Methods:

  • Integration of super-resolution microscopy (nanoscopy) and spectroscopy of secretory machinery.
  • Analysis of organelle tracking data within a mathematical model.
  • Iterative testing using knockdown cell models.

Main Results:

  • Vesicle trafficking follows repeated routes and re-uses specific fusion sites.
  • Distinct vesicle pools are observed.
  • Brownian motion of organelles and navigation between protein depots shape these behaviors.

Conclusions:

  • The spatial organization of secretory protein depots on the plasma membrane influences vesicle trafficking patterns.
  • Vesicle behavior is a result of organelle Brownian motion and directed navigation.
  • This study provides insights into the fundamental processes governing secretion at the eukaryotic plasma membrane.