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Related Concept Videos

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Types of Membrane Protrusions

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The protrusion of the cell surface is an initial step for several cellular processes, including cell migration, phagocytosis, and neurite outgrowth. These membrane protrusions are a result of cytoskeletal rearrangement. The most  widely observed cell protrusions include lamellipodia, pseudopodia, filopodia, microvilli, invadopodia, and podosomes. These protrusions can be of two types — static or dynamic.
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Mechanisms of Membrane Domain Formation00:59

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Different physical properties of lipids and proteins allow them to localize and form distinct islands or domains in the membrane. Some membrane domains are formed due to protein-protein interactions, whereas others are formed due to the presence of specific lipids such as sphingolipids and sterols—for example, large proteins, such as bacteriorhodopsin, aggregate and create distinct domains.
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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%...
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The membrane domains concentrate specific lipids and proteins at one place within the membrane, which helps in cell signaling, adhesion, and other critical cellular processes. These domains can differ in size, composition, function, and lifespan.
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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.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 23, 2025

Atomic Force Microscopy Imaging and Force Spectroscopy of Supported Lipid Bilayers
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Phase separation in pore-spanning membranes induced by differences in surface adhesion.

Jeremias Sibold1, Vera E Tewaag1, Thomas Vagedes1

  • 1Institute of Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry, University of Göttingen, Tammannstr. 2, 37077 Göttingen, Germany. csteine@gwdg.de.

Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics : PCCP
|April 21, 2020
PubMed
Summary

Protein scaffolds beneath cell membranes influence lipid domain formation. This study shows that lipid domains preferentially adhere to underlying scaffolds, altering membrane phase behavior and highlighting the importance of differential adhesion in lipid sorting.

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Area of Science:

  • Membrane biophysics
  • Lipid self-assembly
  • Cellular signaling platforms

Background:

  • Plasma membranes utilize lipid domains for molecular sorting and signaling.
  • Model membranes can replicate some lipid domain behaviors.
  • The influence of underlying protein scaffolds on membrane phase behavior is poorly understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how partial membrane attachment to a scaffold affects lipid membrane phase behavior.
  • To explore the role of differential adhesion in lipid domain formation within pore-spanning membranes (PSMs).

Main Methods:

  • Pore-spanning membranes (PSMs) were created on functionalized silicon substrates using giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) of DOPC/sphingomyelin with varying cholesterol.
  • Fluorescence microscopy was employed to visualize and distinguish between gel (lβ), liquid ordered (lo), and liquid disordered (ld) lipid phases.
  • Temperature scans were used to determine mixing temperatures and analyze phase coexistence.

Main Results:

  • At low cholesterol, lβ and ld phases coexisted; at higher concentrations, lo and ld phases predominated.
  • Freestanding PSMs exhibited the more ordered phase below the mixing temperature, while supported PSMs showed the ld-phase.
  • This lipid sorting was attributed to stronger adhesion of ld-phase lipids to the underlying scaffold.

Conclusions:

  • Differential adhesion of lipid phases to underlying scaffolds significantly alters membrane phase behavior.
  • The observed lipid sorting in supported membranes shifted the effective lipid mixture composition.
  • This study underscores the critical role of surface adhesion properties in regulating lipid domain formation and membrane organization.