scholarly journals Composition and Function of Cell Membranes

1981 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Author(s):  
Stefano Romeo

Cholesterol is the most abundant steroid in animals. Not only is it a vital constituent of cell membranes, where it establishes proper membrane permeability and fluidity, but it is also the immediate metabolic precursor of all known steroid hormones and bile acids. Synthesized de novo in cells or absorbed from the diet, cholesterol circulates in the body in association with lipoproteins and is ultimately degraded into bile acids by the liver. Every perturbation of the numerous enzymes involved in cholesterol metabolism leads to impairment in the development and function of the gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, skeletal, and nervous systems.


2017 ◽  
pp. 1-20
Author(s):  
Mingjun Cai ◽  
Jing Gao ◽  
Hongda Wang
Keyword(s):  

Lipids ◽  
1975 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 421-426 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald A. Pieringer ◽  
Mong-Ching W. Ganfield

1999 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans G. L. Coster

Living cells are enveloped in an ultra thin ( ~ 6 nm) membrane which consists basically of a bi-molecular film of lipid molecules in which are embedded functional proteins that perform a variety of functions, including energy transduction, signalling, transport of ions (and other molecules) etc., and also acts as a diffusion barrier between the cell interior (cytoplasm) and the external medium. A simple statistical mechanical analysis of the self-assembly of the membrane from its components provides useful insights into the molecular organisation of the membrane and its electrical properties. The stability of the structure is also closely connected to its electrical properties and this has provided not only a useful tool for fundamental research but has spawned also applications, some of which have had a major impact in biomedical research and are now being exploited commercially. An overview is given of the rapid progress made in our understanding of the physics of both the molecular organisation and function of cell membranes and some of the fascinating and socially and commercially important applications that have flowed from this.


2009 ◽  
Vol 147 (6) ◽  
pp. 742-745 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. M. Alekseeva ◽  
L. D. Fatkullina ◽  
Yu. A. Kim ◽  
E. B. Burlakova ◽  
S. G. Fattakhov ◽  
...  

2009 ◽  
Vol 74 (7) ◽  
pp. 707-716 ◽  
Author(s):  
Romana Masnikosa ◽  
Bogovid Zivkovic ◽  
Olgica Nedic

Fetal growth in utero depends on the proper development and function of the placenta. Insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) are critically involved in placental development. During pregnancy, an IGF-binding protein, IGFBP-1, which is produced by maternal decidua, plays an important role in the control of the bioavailability of IGFs. It has recently been proposed that cleavage of decidual IGFBP-1 by matrix metalloproteases is a novel mechanism in the control of placental development. The presence of IGFBP-1 in solubilized placental cell membranes, i.e. its association with the membranes, was detected in an earlier work. Herein, it is shown that IGFBP-1 from the solubilized membranes forms dimers, as well as high molecular mass complexes. IGFBP-1 dimers preferably contain the non-phosphorylated form of IGFBP-1. The high molecular mass forms are polymers of IGFBP-1 or its complexes with other membrane proteins. Dimerization of IGFBP-1, together with its association with the placental cell membrane, could serve as an additional mechanism of the regulation of IGF availability to the type 1 IGF receptors.


1962 ◽  
Vol 40 (9) ◽  
pp. 1253-1260 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. S. V. Burgen

Permeation through cell membranes may occur through solution in membrane lipid, association with carrier molecules, formation of molecular dimers, passage through organized channels or through membrane translocation. It is probable that the predominant mechanism differs according to the type of cell.


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