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Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/11375/20753
Title: Lipid Rafts in Binary Lipid/Cholesterol Bilayers
Authors: Alsop, Richard J
Rheinstädter, Maikel C
Department: Physics and Astronomy
Keywords: lipid membrane;lipid rafts;cholesterol;binary lipid membranes
Publication Date: Apr-2016
Publisher: Nova
Citation: “Lipid Rafts in Binary Lipid/Cholesterol Bilayers”, Richard J. Alsop, Maikel C. Rheinstädter in "Membrane organization and lipid rafts in the cell and artificial membranes", 2016, edited by Angel Catalá, Nova, Series: Cell Biology Research Progress, pages 17-42, ISBN 978-1-63484-589-2
Series/Report no.: Cell Biology Research Progress;17-42
Abstract: The lipid membrane was once modelled as a homogeneous two-dimensional fluid, however, it is in fact a patchy, inhomogeneous state of matter. Inhomogeneities in membranes are now understood to be crucial to their function. These so-called lipid rafts are described as lateral lipid assemblies enriched in cholesterol, which have a greater degree of molecular order. They are believed to play a role in membrane bound protein insertion, sorting, and function. However, size, lifetime, and even the existence of rafts are still the subject of debate. This chapter discusses a role for lipid rafts in membrane homeostasis, experimental techniques to detect rafts, and our current physical models of how rafts may form. In particular, recent X-ray and neutron scattering experiments will be highlighted, which have revealed the lateral molecular ordering of cholesterol in lipid membranes, and have enhanced our understanding of lipid rafts. Those experiments, in particular, demonstrated that a drug, such as aspirin, can interrupt membrane homeostasis by influencing the formation of lipid rafts.
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/11375/20753
ISBN: 978-1-63484-589-2
Appears in Collections:Physics & Astronomy Publications

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