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Related Concept Videos

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Once a transport vesicle has recognized its target organelle, the vesicular membrane needs to fuse with the target membrane to unload the cargo. Transmembrane proteins called SNAREs present on organelle membranes and their vesicles, mediate vesicle fusion.
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The living membranes are flexible due to their fluid mosaic nature; however, their bending into different shapes is an active process regulated by specific lipids and proteins. The membrane bending can be transient as seen in vesicles or stable for a long time as in microvilli. Cells regulate the size, location, and duration of the membrane curvature.
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When a paint brush is immersed in water, the bristles wave freely inside the water. When it is taken out, the bristles stick together. The reason behind this effect is surface tension.
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Blebs are a type of membrane protrusion formed by the internal hydrostatic pressure of the cytoplasm. Blebs are observed in several cell types, including fibroblasts, immune cells, and single-celled organisms like the amoeba. The primary function of blebs is cell locomotion and apoptosis, but they are also found during necrosis and cell division. The life cycle of a bleb comprises an initiation phase followed by the expansion and retraction phases.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 18, 2026

Pulling Membrane Nanotubes from Giant Unilamellar Vesicles
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Pulling force and surface tension drive membrane fusion.

Xuejuan Liu1, Falin Tian1, Tongtao Yue2

  • 1State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, People's Republic of China.

The Journal of Chemical Physics
|November 23, 2017
PubMed
Summary

Fusion proteins use pulling forces to initiate membrane fusion, with membrane tension regulating later stages. This conserved mechanism, driven by lipid head overcrowding, explains diverse fusion events observed experimentally.

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

  • Biophysics
  • Cell Biology
  • Molecular Dynamics

Background:

  • Membrane fusion, crucial for processes like viral entry and intracellular transport, involves diverse fusion proteins.
  • Despite architectural differences, these proteins exhibit common transition states, suggesting a general catalysis mechanism.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify a general catalysis mechanism for membrane fusion minimally dependent on specific fusion protein structures.
  • To investigate the roles of pulling forces and membrane tension in mediating membrane fusion.

Main Methods:

  • Development of a minimal model for membrane fusion.
  • Utilizing dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) simulations to explore the fusion process.

Main Results:

  • A proposed mechanism where fusion protein-induced pulling force initiates fusion via lipid head overcrowding.
  • Demonstration that membrane tension regulates subsequent fusion stages.
  • Observed destabilization of contacting lipid leaflets due to increased repulsion and unfavorable contacts, promoting fusion or rupture.
  • Simulated intermediates and shapes closely match experimental observations.

Conclusions:

  • The tight pulling mechanism is a conserved feature of fusion protein-mediated fusion.
  • Membrane tension plays a critical role in regulating the stages of membrane fusion.