Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 3, 2025
10:15
Atomic Force Microscopy Imaging and Force Spectroscopy of Supported Lipid Bilayers
Published on: July 22, 2015
15.0K
Phase behavior and miscibility in lipid monolayers containing glycolipids.
Tetiana Mukhina1, Gerald Brezesinski1, Chen Shen2
1Institute for Condensed Matter Physics, TU Darmstadt, Hochschulstraße 8, 64289 Darmstadt, Germany.
Journal of Colloid and Interface Science
|February 17, 2022
Summary
Glycolipid-enriched domains in membranes were studied using advanced techniques. Researchers found these domains exhibit diverse behaviors, influenced by lipid properties, offering new insights into membrane structure.
Area of Science:
- Membrane biophysics
- Lipid self-assembly
- Structural biology
Background:
- Glycolipids are crucial membrane components involved in forming ordered functional domains.
- Characterizing these glycolipid-enriched domains is challenging due to their inherent properties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the phase behavior and miscibility of glycolipids within lipid monolayers.
- To develop methods for characterizing glycolipid-enriched domains.
Main Methods:
- Grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction
- Isotherm measurements
- Brewster angle microscopy
Main Results:
- Glycolipid domains produce unique diffraction patterns, enabling detailed structural analysis.
- Observed phenomena range from demixing to the formation of novel mixed domains.
- Phase behavior is dictated by headgroup chemistry and lipid tail characteristics (length, saturation).
Conclusions:
- Advanced X-ray diffraction techniques allow for systematic structural investigation of glycolipid domains.
- Glycolipid domain formation is complex and tunable via molecular properties.
- This work enhances understanding of glycolipid roles in membrane organization.
Keywords:
Brewster-angle microscopyGlycolipid-enriched domainsGrazing-incidence X-ray diffractionLangmuir isothermLangmuir monolayerPhase behaviourPhase diagramPhospholipidMore Related Videos
10:08Phase Behavior of Charged Vesicles Under Symmetric and Asymmetric Solution Conditions Monitored with Fluorescence Microscopy
Published on: October 24, 2017
9.3K
07:31Author Spotlight: Advancing Cell Membrane Biophysics - Exploring Interactions and Challenges Through Experimental and Computational Approaches
Published on: September 1, 2023
2.6K
Related Concept Videos
01:35Asymmetric Lipid Bilayer
8.2K
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%...
8.2K
01:32Membrane Lipids
28.5K
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...
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...
28.5K
01:29Biosynthesis of Lipids
146
Microbial membranes exhibit remarkable diversity in lipid composition, reflecting evolutionary adaptations to various environmental conditions. The three domains of life—Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya—synthesize membrane lipids through distinct biosynthetic pathways, leading to fundamental structural differences that impact membrane stability, function, and adaptability.Fatty Acid-Based Lipids in Bacteria and EukaryaBacteria and eukaryotes share a common fatty acid biosynthesis...
146
01:19Fluid Mosaic Model
13.5K
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...
13.5K
01:26Membrane Fluidity
12.6K
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...
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...
12.6K
03:38Structure of Lipids
92.8K
Lipids include a diverse group of compounds that are largely nonpolar in nature. This is because they are hydrocarbons that include mostly nonpolar carbon-carbon or carbon-hydrogen bonds. Non-polar molecules are hydrophobic (“water fearing”), or insoluble in water. Lipids perform many different functions in a cell. Cells store energy for long-term use in the form of fats. Lipids also provide insulation from the environment for plants and animals. For example, they help keep aquatic...
92.8K