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Phase separation in biological membranes: integration of theory and experiment.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Elson, EL; Fried, E; Dolbow, JE; Genin, GM
Published in: Annual review of biophysics
January 2010

Lipid bilayer model membranes that contain a single lipid species can undergo transitions between ordered and disordered phases, and membranes that contain a mixture of lipid species can undergo phase separations. Studies of these transformations are of interest for what they can tell us about the interaction energies of lipid molecules of different species and conformations. Nanoscopic phases (<200 nm) can provide a model for membrane rafts, specialized membrane domains enriched in cholesterol and sphingomyelin, which are believed to have essential biological functions in cell membranes. Crucial questions are whether lipid nanodomains can exist in stable equilibrium in membranes and what is the distribution of their sizes and lifetimes in membranes of different composition. Theoretical methods have supplied much information on these questions, but better experimental methods are needed to detect and characterize nanodomains under normal membrane conditions. This review summarizes linkages between theoretical and experimental studies of phase separation in lipid bilayer model membranes.

Duke Scholars

Published In

Annual review of biophysics

DOI

EISSN

1936-1238

ISSN

1936-122X

Publication Date

January 2010

Volume

39

Start / End Page

207 / 226

Related Subject Headings

  • Thermodynamics
  • Membrane Microdomains
  • Membrane Fluidity
  • Lipid Bilayers
  • Humans
  • Biophysics
  • Animals
  • 3404 Medicinal and biomolecular chemistry
  • 3101 Biochemistry and cell biology
  • 0904 Chemical Engineering
 

Citation

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Elson, E. L., Fried, E., Dolbow, J. E., & Genin, G. M. (2010). Phase separation in biological membranes: integration of theory and experiment. Annual Review of Biophysics, 39, 207–226. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.biophys.093008.131238
Elson, Elliot L., Eliot Fried, John E. Dolbow, and Guy M. Genin. “Phase separation in biological membranes: integration of theory and experiment.Annual Review of Biophysics 39 (January 2010): 207–26. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.biophys.093008.131238.
Elson EL, Fried E, Dolbow JE, Genin GM. Phase separation in biological membranes: integration of theory and experiment. Annual review of biophysics. 2010 Jan;39:207–26.
Elson, Elliot L., et al. “Phase separation in biological membranes: integration of theory and experiment.Annual Review of Biophysics, vol. 39, Jan. 2010, pp. 207–26. Epmc, doi:10.1146/annurev.biophys.093008.131238.
Elson EL, Fried E, Dolbow JE, Genin GM. Phase separation in biological membranes: integration of theory and experiment. Annual review of biophysics. 2010 Jan;39:207–226.

Published In

Annual review of biophysics

DOI

EISSN

1936-1238

ISSN

1936-122X

Publication Date

January 2010

Volume

39

Start / End Page

207 / 226

Related Subject Headings

  • Thermodynamics
  • Membrane Microdomains
  • Membrane Fluidity
  • Lipid Bilayers
  • Humans
  • Biophysics
  • Animals
  • 3404 Medicinal and biomolecular chemistry
  • 3101 Biochemistry and cell biology
  • 0904 Chemical Engineering