Chapter 12
Membrane Structure and Components
![What are Membranes?](https://jovecdn2.ccindex.cn/files/media/science-education/science-education-thumbs/11655.jpg)
A cell's plasma membrane demarcates the cell's borders and determines the nature of its interaction with the environment. Cells exclude…
![Membrane Fluidity](https://jovecdn2.ccindex.cn/files/media/science-education/science-education-thumbs/11656.jpg)
Membrane fluidity is explained by the fluid mosaic model of the cell membrane, which describes the plasma membrane structure as a mosaic of…
![Membrane Lipids](https://jovecdn2.ccindex.cn/files/media/science-education/science-education-thumbs/11658.jpg)
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…
![Asymmetric Lipid Bilayer](https://jovecdn2.ccindex.cn/files/media/science-education/science-education-thumbs/11659.jpg)
Biological membranes show uneven distribution of different types of lipids in the inner and outer layers, resulting in transverse asymmetric…
![Membrane Carbohydrates](https://jovecdn2.ccindex.cn/files/media/science-education/science-education-thumbs/11660.jpg)
The plasma membrane is a dynamic barrier composed of lipids, proteins, and carbohydrates. It is the epicenter of many cellular processes required for…
![Membrane Proteins](https://jovecdn2.ccindex.cn/files/media/science-education/science-education-thumbs/11661.jpg)
Plasma membranes have integral transmembrane proteins involved in facilitated transport. These proteins are collectively referred to as transport…
![Single-pass Transmembrane Proteins](https://jovecdn2.ccindex.cn/files/media/science-education/science-education-thumbs/11663.jpg)
Integral membrane proteins are tightly associated with the cell membrane and play a crucial role in cell communication, signaling, adhesion, and…
![Multi-pass Transmembrane Proteins and β-barrels](https://jovecdn2.ccindex.cn/files/media/science-education/science-education-thumbs/12551.jpg)
In multi-pass transmembrane proteins, the polypeptide chain crosses the membrane more than once. The transmembrane polypeptide chain either forms an…
![Protein Diffusion in the Membrane](https://jovecdn2.ccindex.cn/files/media/science-education/science-education-thumbs/11665.jpg)
Proteins show rotational as well as lateral diffusion across the membrane. The lateral diffusion of proteins was confirmed through the cell fusion…
![Membrane Domains](https://jovecdn2.ccindex.cn/files/media/science-education/science-education-thumbs/11666.jpg)
The membrane domains concentrate specific lipids and proteins at one place within the membrane, which helps in cell signaling, adhesion, and other…
![Construction of Model Lipid Membranes Incorporating G-protein Coupled Receptors (GPCRs)](https://jovecdn2.ccindex.cn/files/thumbs/62830_t.png)
Robust in vitro investigations of the structure and function of integral membrane proteins has been a challenge due to the complexities of the plasma…
![Characterization of Membrane Transporters by Heterologous Expression in <em>E. coli</em> and Production of Membrane Vesicles](https://jovecdn2.ccindex.cn/files/thumbs/60009_t.png)
Several methods have been developed to functionally characterize novel membrane transporters. Polyamines are ubiquitous in all organisms, but…