Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Protein-protein Interfaces

Protein-protein Interfaces

Many proteins form complexes to carry out their functions, making protein-protein interactions (PPIs) essential for an organism's survival. Most PPIs are stabilized by numerous weak noncovalent chemical forces. The physical shape of the interfaces determines the way two proteins interact. Many globular proteins have closely-matching shapes on their surfaces, which form a large number of weak bonds. Additionally, many PPIs occur between two helices or between a surface cleft and a...

Protein-Protein Interfaces

Protein-Protein Interfaces

Lipids as Anchors

Lipids as Anchors

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...

Introduction to Membrane Proteins

Introduction to Membrane Proteins

The cell membrane, or plasma membrane, is an ever-changing landscape. It is described as a fluid mosaic where various macromolecules are embedded in the phospholipid bilayer. Among the macromolecules are proteins. The protein content varies across cell types. For example, mitochondrial inner membranes contain ~76% protein content, while myelin contains ~18% protein content. Individual cells contain many types of membrane proteins—red blood cells contain over 50—and different cell...

Membrane Fluidity

Membrane Fluidity

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...

Membrane Fluidity

Membrane Fluidity

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.

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

LiMeNEx: an interactive webserver on lipid biochemical gene-regulatory network.

Nucleic acids research·2026

Same author

Phospholipids that Plug the Pores of Cholesteryl Ester Transfer Protein Control Its Triglyceride Transfer.

Computational and structural biotechnology journal·2026

Same author

SARS-CoV-2 intra-host recombination promotes epistatic spike interactions and temperature-dependent adaptation.

Cell reports·2026

Same author

Molecular Insights into Anabaenopeptin-Mediated Inhibition of Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase B in the <i>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</i> Complex.

ACS omega·2026

Same author

Cardiovascular Disease and Sudden Cardiac Arrest in Young Individuals: An Evolving Challenge.

The American journal of cardiology·2026

Same author

Structural organization of p62 filaments and the cellular ultrastructure of calcium-rich p62-enwrapped lipid droplet cargo.

Nature communications·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 7, 2026

Native Cell Membrane Nanoparticles System for Membrane Protein-Protein Interaction Analysis

Native Cell Membrane Nanoparticles System for Membrane Protein-Protein Interaction Analysis

Published on: July 16, 2020

Lipidated proteins: Spotlight on protein-membrane binding interfaces.

Arjun Ray¹, Nidhi Jatana², Lipi Thukral²

¹CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, Mathura Road, Sukhdev Vihar, New Delhi, 110 020, India; Academy of Scientific & Innovative Research (AcSIR), CSIR-IGIB South Campus, New Delhi, India.

Progress in Biophysics and Molecular Biology

|February 8, 2017

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Lipid modifications on proteins are vital for cell function, membrane targeting, and signaling. Understanding these lipid-protein interactions offers insights into disease and potential therapeutic strategies.

Keywords:

Lipid-anchor Lipidated proteins Membrane trafficking Molecular dynamics simulations Post-translational modifications Protein-membrane

More Related Videos

Construction of Model Lipid Membranes Incorporating G-protein Coupled Receptors GPCRs

Construction of Model Lipid Membranes Incorporating G-protein Coupled Receptors GPCRs

Published on: February 5, 2022

Method to Visualize and Analyze Membrane Interacting Proteins by Transmission Electron Microscopy

Method to Visualize and Analyze Membrane Interacting Proteins by Transmission Electron Microscopy

Published on: March 5, 2017

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 7, 2026

Native Cell Membrane Nanoparticles System for Membrane Protein-Protein Interaction Analysis

Native Cell Membrane Nanoparticles System for Membrane Protein-Protein Interaction Analysis

Published on: July 16, 2020

Construction of Model Lipid Membranes Incorporating G-protein Coupled Receptors GPCRs

Construction of Model Lipid Membranes Incorporating G-protein Coupled Receptors GPCRs

Published on: February 5, 2022

Method to Visualize and Analyze Membrane Interacting Proteins by Transmission Electron Microscopy

Method to Visualize and Analyze Membrane Interacting Proteins by Transmission Electron Microscopy

Published on: March 5, 2017

Area of Science:

Biochemistry
Cell Biology
Molecular Biology

Background:

Covalent lipid attachment to proteins is essential for cellular functions.
Lipidated proteins are crucial for membrane targeting, signaling, and trafficking.
Key lipid modifications include palmitoylation, myristoylation, prenylation, cholesterylation, and GPI anchor addition.

Purpose of the Study:

To elucidate mechanistic insights into protein-membrane attachment.
To understand regions mediating protein-membrane interface specificity.
To explore the role of lipid modifications in cellular growth, disease, and therapeutics.

Main Methods:

Review of existing literature on lipidated proteins.
Computational case study on lipid-modulated LC3 protein insertion.
Analysis of signaling pathways and cellular compartmentalization.

Main Results:

Lipid moieties dictate protein compartmentalization, membrane trafficking, and signaling.
Specific protein regions are critical for membrane interface specificity.
Membrane lipids differentially modulate the insertion of lipidated proteins like LC3.

Conclusions:

Regulating lipid modifications is a potential therapeutic strategy for cell survival and disease.
Lipid-protein interactions are key targets for understanding and treating diseases.
Further research into lipid modification mechanisms can advance cell biology and medicine.