Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Membrane Fluidity01:26

Membrane Fluidity

11.1K
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...
11.1K
Membrane Domains01:18

Membrane Domains

5.4K
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.
Protein Domains
The membrane comprises a group of distinct proteins responsible for carrying out a cell's specific function. For example, the plasma membrane of the human sperm, or a single germ cell, contains a unique set of proteins in the...
5.4K
Asymmetric Lipid Bilayer01:35

Asymmetric Lipid Bilayer

7.2K
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%...
7.2K
Fluid Mosaic Model01:19

Fluid Mosaic Model

11.5K
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...
11.5K
Membrane Lipids01:32

Membrane Lipids

23.3K
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...
23.3K
Lipids as Anchors01:32

Lipids as Anchors

5.6K
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...
5.6K

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Involvement of the Light Signalling Components HY5 and BIC1,2 and SPA1 in Plant Responses to Elevated Daytime UV-B Doses.

International journal of molecular sciences·2026
Same author

Effects of Continuous Low-Level UV-B, Alone or in Combination with Blue Light, on Photosynthetic and Antioxidant Responses of Morphologically Distinct Red-Leaf Lettuce Cultivars.

Plants (Basel, Switzerland)·2025
Same author

Involvement of Phytochrome-Interacting Factors in High-Irradiance Adaptation.

International journal of molecular sciences·2025
Same author

The Photosynthetic Complexes of Thylakoid Membranes of Photoautotrophs and a Quartet of Their Polar Lipids.

International journal of molecular sciences·2025
Same author

The Role of Pigments and Cryptochrome 1 in the Adaptation of <i>Solanum lycopersicum</i> Photosynthetic Apparatus to High-Intensity Blue Light.

Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland)·2024
Same author

Influence of Additional White, Red and Far-Red Light on Growth, Secondary Metabolites and Expression of Hormone Signaling Genes in Scots Pine under Sunlight.

Cells·2024

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 17, 2025

Construction of Model Lipid Membranes Incorporating G-protein Coupled Receptors GPCRs
09:45

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

Published on: February 5, 2022

3.5K

Polar Glycerolipids and Membrane Lipid Rafts.

Anatoly Zhukov1, Mikhail Vereshchagin1

  • 1K.A. Timiryazev Institute of Plant Physiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Botanicheskaya Street 35, Moscow 127276, Russia.

International Journal of Molecular Sciences
|August 10, 2024
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Understanding biomembrane function requires knowing how membrane lipid rafts form. This study proposes a new four-component model for lipid phase formation, improving accuracy over traditional three-component schemes.

Keywords:
computer modelingglycerophospholipid groups with different unsaturationlateral membrane heterogeneitylipid phases Lo and Ldlipid-lipid H-bondsmechanisms of nanodomain formationmodel biomembranesmolecular dynamicsphysicochemical properties of lipid bilayers

More Related Videos

Lipid Exchange Assay in Living Cells
08:59

Lipid Exchange Assay in Living Cells

Published on: March 21, 2025

334
Author Spotlight: Advancing Cell Membrane Biophysics - Exploring Interactions and Challenges Through Experimental and Computational Approaches
07:31

Author Spotlight: Advancing Cell Membrane Biophysics - Exploring Interactions and Challenges Through Experimental and Computational Approaches

Published on: September 1, 2023

2.2K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 17, 2025

Construction of Model Lipid Membranes Incorporating G-protein Coupled Receptors GPCRs
09:45

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

Published on: February 5, 2022

3.5K
Lipid Exchange Assay in Living Cells
08:59

Lipid Exchange Assay in Living Cells

Published on: March 21, 2025

334
Author Spotlight: Advancing Cell Membrane Biophysics - Exploring Interactions and Challenges Through Experimental and Computational Approaches
07:31

Author Spotlight: Advancing Cell Membrane Biophysics - Exploring Interactions and Challenges Through Experimental and Computational Approaches

Published on: September 1, 2023

2.2K

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Biophysics
  • Membrane Biology

Background:

  • Membrane lipid rafts are crucial for biomembrane structure and function.
  • Understanding their formation requires analyzing lipid phase behavior (liquid-ordered and liquid-disordered).
  • Current models often oversimplify the complex composition of biological membranes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To critically evaluate existing three-component models for lipid phase formation.
  • To propose a more accurate four-component model for simulating lipid rafts.
  • To investigate the role of specific phospholipid head groups, like phosphatidylethanolamine, in phase formation.

Main Methods:

  • Critical analysis of established three-component membrane models.
  • Development and proposal of a novel four-component lipid phase model.
  • Consideration of glycerophospholipid heterogeneity in phase separation.

Main Results:

  • The proposed four-component model offers a more refined approach to predicting lipid phase composition.
  • Highlights the significance of phospholipid head group diversity, particularly phosphatidylethanolamine.
  • Suggests that distinct boundaries between liquid-ordered and liquid-disordered phases may not always exist.

Conclusions:

  • A four-component model provides a better framework for understanding lipid raft formation.
  • Phospholipid head group structure plays a key role in the organization of membrane domains.
  • The dynamic and potentially continuous nature of lipid phases impacts membrane function.