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

Asymmetric Lipid Bilayer01:35

Asymmetric Lipid Bilayer

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%...
Membrane Fluidity01:26

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 a relatively...
Membrane Fluidity01:23

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.Fatty acids tails of phospholipids can be either saturated or...
Membrane Domains01:18

Membrane Domains

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 anterior...
Fluid Mosaic Model01:19

Fluid Mosaic Model

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 with the analogy of...
Fluid Mosaic Model01:34

Fluid Mosaic Model

The fluid mosaic model was first proposed as a visual representation of research observations. The model comprises the composition and dynamics of membranes and serves as a foundation for future membrane-related studies. The model depicts the structure of the plasma membrane with a variety of components, which include phospholipids, proteins, and carbohydrates. These integral molecules are loosely bound, defining the cell’s border and providing fluidity for optimal function.LipidsThe most...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Melatonin-Induced Modulation of Cholesterol-Enriched Model Neuronal Membranes.

ACS chemical neuroscience·2026
Same author

Ion transport through reconfigurable nanoparticle-surfactant stabilized droplet interface bilayers.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same author

Gonadotropins for Infertility in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.

American family physician·2026
Same author

Relaxor Ferroelectric-Like Spatiotemporal Memory in Field-Driven Lipid Bilayers.

Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids·2026
Same author

Electromechanically induced membrane restructuring enables learning and memory.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2025
Same author

Small angle neutron scattering study of rhodopsin oligomerization and G-protein coupling in a physiologically relevant lipid membrane.

Biochimica et biophysica acta. Biomembranes·2025
Same journal

A Video Protocol of a Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial - Electrochemotherapy of Cutaneous Metastases with Reduced Dose Bleomycin (BLESS Trial).

Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE·2026
Same journal

A Standardized Ex Vivo Porcine Oromucosal Model for Evaluating Peptide Fluxes.

Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE·2026
Same journal

Lightweight English Text Classification with Deep Learning Based on Complex System Theory.

Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE·2026
Same journal

Integrating Artificial Intelligence-Assisted Translation Support into English Courses: Effects on Translation Accuracy, Perceived Stress, and Anxiety.

Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE·2026
Same journal

A Toxin-Based Counter-Selection System for Markerless Gene Deletion and High-Density Tn5 Transposon Mutagenesis in Pectobacterium brasiliense.

Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE·2026
Same journal

Seamless Multimodal Human-Robot Communication: Integration Techniques in Human-Computer Interaction.

Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 1, 2026

Lipid-Protein Membrane Structure-Function Characterization using Droplet Interface Bilayers
10:27

Lipid-Protein Membrane Structure-Function Characterization using Droplet Interface Bilayers

Published on: June 12, 2026

Lipid-Protein Membrane Structure-Function Characterization using Droplet Interface Bilayers.

Peter T Podar1, Ariana Adkisson-Washington2, Olivia Ziemer3

  • 1Carle Illinois College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Shull Wollan Center, University of Tennessee; ptpodar2@illinois.edu.

Journal of Visualized Experiments : Jove
|June 29, 2026
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Droplet interface bilayers (DIBs) provide a tunable method to study membrane electromechanical properties and ion channel function. This approach allows for analysis of adaptive ion conduction, mimicking synaptic plasticity in model membrane systems.

More Related Videos

Temperature-Controlled Assembly and Characterization of a Droplet Interface Bilayer
10:11

Temperature-Controlled Assembly and Characterization of a Droplet Interface Bilayer

Published on: April 19, 2021

Lipid Droplet Isolation for Quantitative Mass Spectrometry Analysis
10:23

Lipid Droplet Isolation for Quantitative Mass Spectrometry Analysis

Published on: April 17, 2017

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 1, 2026

Lipid-Protein Membrane Structure-Function Characterization using Droplet Interface Bilayers
10:27

Lipid-Protein Membrane Structure-Function Characterization using Droplet Interface Bilayers

Published on: June 12, 2026

Temperature-Controlled Assembly and Characterization of a Droplet Interface Bilayer
10:11

Temperature-Controlled Assembly and Characterization of a Droplet Interface Bilayer

Published on: April 19, 2021

Lipid Droplet Isolation for Quantitative Mass Spectrometry Analysis
10:23

Lipid Droplet Isolation for Quantitative Mass Spectrometry Analysis

Published on: April 17, 2017

Area of Science:

  • Membrane biophysics
  • Electrophysiology
  • Materials science

Background:

  • Droplet interface bilayers (DIBs) are a versatile platform for studying membrane properties.
  • Traditional patch clamp techniques have limitations in membrane area and analysis.
  • Understanding electromechanical properties is crucial for ion channel function.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the electromechanical properties of lipid and lipid-peptide membranes using DIBs.
  • To analyze how membrane composition and oil environment influence ion conduction.
  • To characterize adaptive membrane ion conduction, including plasticity-like responses.

Main Methods:

  • Assembly of gramicidin A-doped 1,2-diphytanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPhPC) membranes in DIBs.
  • Systematic tuning of membrane structure via different hydrocarbon oil phases (e.g., hexadecane, dodecane/hexadecane mixtures).
  • Application of voltage-pulse protocols to induce metastable electromechanical states and measure ion conductance.

Main Results:

  • Demonstrated DIBs enable large-area membrane-level electromechanical deformation analysis.
  • Showcased how tuning oil composition affects membrane viscoelasticity, structure, and peptide ion conduction.
  • Characterized adaptive ion conduction, including short-term plasticity-like (STP-like) and long-term potentiation/depression-like (LTP-like/LTD-like) responses.

Conclusions:

  • DIBs offer a robust and reproducible method for studying membrane electromechanical contributions to ion channel function.
  • This platform facilitates systematic investigation of how lipid environments modulate ion channel behavior.
  • The findings provide insights into synaptic-like conductive behavior in model membrane systems.