Composition-driven surface domain structuring mediated by phingolipids and membrane-active proteins” Above the Nano- but under the Micro-scale: Mesoscopic Biochemical/Structural Cross-talk in Biomembranes.

B. MAGGIO, G. A. BORIOLI, M. DEL BOCA, L. DE TULLIO, M. L. FANANI, R. G. OLIVEIRA, C. M. ROSETTI Y N. WILKE

CELL BIOCHEMISTRY AND BIOPHYSICS

Humana Press Inc

Año: 2008 vol. 50 p. 79 - 79

1085-9195

font size="3" face="ArialMT"> Biomembrane surfaces contain a wide variety of lipids and proteins within an essentially two-dimensional structure. The coexistence of such a large number of molecular species causes inevitable development of local tensions that frequently relax into phase or compositional immiscibility along the lateral and transverse planes of the interface. As a consequence, a substantial microheterogeneity of the surface topography develops that depends not only on the lipid-protein composition but also on the lateral and transverse tensions generated as a consequence of molecular interactions. The presence of proteins, and immiscibility among lipids, constitute major perturbing factors for the membrane sculpturing both in terms of