Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
sandwich. A slight improvement on this model was proposed by Robertson in his 1957 Unit
Membrane model. His model was based on electron micrographs, the first direct observa-
tions of membrane structure, and featured structures that resembled 'railroad tracks'. In
the 1960s, Benson (for the photosynthetic thylakoid) and Green (for the mitochondrial inner
membrane) proposed lipid bilayer-free models, called the Lipoprotein Subunit model. These
early membrane models did not appreciate membrane asymmetry or dynamics. In 1972
Singer and Nicholson proposed their Fluid Mosaic model that retained the lipid bilayer,
but accounted for previous model shortcomings, recognizing membrane fluidity and lateral
mobility. An extension of this model was provided by Kai Simons' 1997 Lipid Raft model that
proposed sphingolipid- and cholesterol-rich, liquid ordered, signaling microdomains.
The next three chapters will discuss various membrane physical properties. These prop-
erties are essential to understanding how membranes work. Chapter 9 will discuss
membrane thickness, bilayer stability, membrane protein, carbohydrate and lipid asymme-
try, lipid trans-membrane movement (flip-flop), membrane lateral diffusion, membrane-
cytoskeleton interaction, lipid melting behavior, and membrane fluidity.
References
[1] Eichman P. From the Lipid Bilayer to the Fluid Mosaic: A Brief History of Model Membranes. SHiPS Resource
Center for Sociology, History and Philosophy in Science Teaching.
[2] De Weer P. A century of thinking about cell membranes. Annu Rev Physiol 2000;62:919
26.
[3] Danielli JF, Davson H. A contribution to the theory of permeability of thin films. J Cell Comp Physiol
1935;5:495
e
508.
[4] Gorter E, Grendel F. On bimolecular layers of lipids on the chromocytes of the blood. J Exp Med
1925;41:439
e
43.
[5] Robertson JD. The cell membrane concept. J Physiol 1957;140:58P
e
9P.
[6] Robertson JD. The molecular structure and contact relationships of cell membranes. Prog Biophys Biophys
Chem 1960;10:344
e
418.
[7] Sandraamurray:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Annular_Gap_Junction_Vesicle.jpg;
public domain.
[8] Benson AA. On the orientation of lipids in chloroplasts and cell membranes. J Am Oil Chem Soc
1966;43:265
e
70.
[9] Green DE, Vanderkooi G. Biological membrane structure, I. The protein crystal model for membranes. Proc
Natl Acad Sci USA 1970;66:615
e
21.
[10] Ellis RJ. Macromolecular crowding: obvious but unappreciated. TRENDS Biochem Sci 2001;26:597
e
e
604.
[11]
Singer SJ, Nicolson GL. The fluid mosaic model of
the structure of cell membranes. Science
31.
[12] Devaux PF, Morris R. Transmembrane asymmetry and lateral domains in biological membranes. Traffic
2004;5:241
1972;175:720
e
6.
[13] Doherty GJ, McMahon HT. Mediation, modulation, and consequences of membrane-cytoskeleton interactions.
Annu Rev Biophys 2008;37:65
e
95.
[14] Karnovsky MJ, Kleinfeld AM, Hoover RL, Klausner RD. The concept of lipid domains in membranes. J Cell
Biol 1982;94:1
e
6.
[15] Estep TN, Mountcastle DB, Barenholz Y, Biltonen RL, Thompson TE. Thermal behavior of synthetic
sphingomyelin
e
7.
[16] Demel RA, Jansen JW, van Dijck PW, van Deenen LL. The preferential interaction of cholesterol with different
classes of phospholipids. Biochim Biophys Acta 1977;465:1
cholesterol dispersions. Biochemistry 1979;18:2112
e
e
10.
[17] Simons K, Ikonen E. Functional rafts in cell membranes. Nature 1997;387:569
e
372.
[18] Brown DA, London E. Functions of lipid rafts in biological membranes. Annu Rev Cell Develop Biol
1998;14:111
e
36.
[19] Simons K, Toomre D. Lipid rafts and signal transduction. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 2000;1:31
e
9.
e
