ISSN:
1432-1424
Keywords:
bilayer assembly
;
neural membranes
;
critical temperature
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Biology
,
Chemistry and Pharmacology
Notes:
Summary Cell membrane bilayers have been reconstructed in vitro utilizing total lipid extracts from rat neural tissue (forebrain, cerebellum, brainstem and spinal cord) and from the optic lobe and fin nerve of the squidLoligo pealei. In agreement with the critical state theory of bilayer assembly (Gershfeld, N.L. 1986.Biophys. J. 50:457–461; Gershfeld, N.L. 1989.J. Phys. Chem. 93:5256–5261), these lipid extracts spontaneously formed purely unilamellar structures in aqueous dispersion, but only at a critical temperature,T *, which was species dependent. For all the rat tissuesT *=37±1°C; for squid neural extractsT *=15.5±1.4°C. These values correspond to ‘physiological’ temperatures for both organisms, implying that their lipid metabolism is geared to permit spontaneous assembly of unilamellar membranes at the ambient temperature in the tissues. Membrane protein composition had little or no effect on critical bilayer formation.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF01868541
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