Self-assembly and function of primitive cell membranes

2009 ◽  
Vol 160 (7) ◽  
pp. 449-456 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Pohorille ◽  
David Deamer
Keyword(s):  
Self Assembly ◽  
Cell Membranes ◽  
Primitive Cell ◽  
And Function

scholarly journals Self-assembly, Stability and the Electrical Characteristics of Cell Membranes

1999 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans G. L. Coster
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Properties ◽  
Self Assembly ◽  
Cell Membranes ◽  
Mechanical Analysis ◽  
Fundamental Research ◽  
Statistical Mechanical ◽  
Commercially Important ◽  
The Stability ◽  
And Function ◽  
Molecular Organisation

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.

Self-assembly, stability and conductance of amphotericin B channels: bridging the gap between structure and function

Nanoscale ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanna Zielińska ◽  
Milosz Wieczor ◽  
Paweł Chodnicki ◽  
Ewa Grela ◽  
Rafal Luchowski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amphotericin B ◽  
Self Assembly ◽  
Cell Membranes ◽  
Structure And Function ◽  
Fungal Cell ◽  
And Function ◽  
Toxic Drugs

Amphotericin B (AmB), one of the most powerful but also toxic drugs used to treat systemic mycoses, is believed to selectively permeabilize fungal cell membranes to ions in a sterol-dependent...

A Dynamic Route to Structure and Function: Recent Advances in Imine-Based Organic Nanostructured Materials

2013 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Liu ◽  
Zhan-Ting Li
Keyword(s):  
Self Assembly ◽  
Reaction System ◽  
Functional Materials ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
The Self ◽  
Interlocked Molecules ◽  
Functional Aspects ◽  
Imine Bond ◽  
And Function ◽  
Dynamic Route

The chemistry of imine bond formation from simple aldehyde and amine precursors is among the most powerful dynamic covalent chemistries employed for the construction of discrete molecular objects and extended molecular frameworks. The reversible nature of the C=N bond confers error-checking and proof-reading capabilities in the self-assembly process within a multi-component reaction system. This review highlights recent progress in the self-assembly of complex organic molecular architectures that are enabled by dynamic imine chemistry, including molecular containers with defined geometry and size, mechanically interlocked molecules, and extended frameworks and polymers, from building blocks with preprogrammed steric and electronic information. The functional aspects associated with the nanometer-scale features not only place these dynamically constructed nanostructures at the frontier of materials sciences, but also bring unprecedented opportunities for the discovery of new functional materials.

scholarly journals Biochemical reconstitutions reveal principles of human γ-TuRC assembly and function

2021 ◽  
Vol 220 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michal Wieczorek ◽  
Shih-Chieh Ti ◽  
Linas Urnavicius ◽  
Kelly R. Molloy ◽  
Amol Aher ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Self Assembly ◽  
The Self ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Guanine Nucleotide ◽  
Partial Cone ◽  
Ring Complex ◽  
Microtubule Networks ◽  
And Function

The formation of cellular microtubule networks is regulated by the γ-tubulin ring complex (γ-TuRC). This ∼2.3 MD assembly of >31 proteins includes γ-tubulin and GCP2-6, as well as MZT1 and an actin-like protein in a “lumenal bridge” (LB). The challenge of reconstituting the γ-TuRC has limited dissections of its assembly and function. Here, we report a biochemical reconstitution of the human γ-TuRC (γ-TuRC-GFP) as a ∼35 S complex that nucleates microtubules in vitro. In addition, we generate a subcomplex, γ-TuRCΔLB-GFP, which lacks MZT1 and actin. We show that γ-TuRCΔLB-GFP nucleates microtubules in a guanine nucleotide–dependent manner and with similar efficiency as the holocomplex. Electron microscopy reveals that γ-TuRC-GFP resembles the native γ-TuRC architecture, while γ-TuRCΔLB-GFP adopts a partial cone shape presenting only 8–10 γ-tubulin subunits and lacks a well-ordered lumenal bridge. Our results show that the γ-TuRC can be reconstituted using a limited set of proteins and suggest that the LB facilitates the self-assembly of regulatory interfaces around a microtubule-nucleating “core” in the holocomplex.

Genetic defects in sterol synthesis, absorption, and degradation into bile acids

2011 ◽  
pp. 1673-1676
Author(s):  
Stefano Romeo
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Permeability ◽  
Bile Acids ◽  
Steroid Hormones ◽  
Cell Membranes ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Cholesterol Metabolism ◽  
The Body ◽  
Sterol Synthesis ◽  
Genetic Defects ◽  
And Function

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.

scholarly journals Collaboration between primitive cell membranes and soluble catalysts

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Katarzyna P. Adamala ◽  
Aaron E. Engelhart ◽  
Jack W. Szostak
Keyword(s):  
Cell Membranes ◽  
Primitive Cell

Composition and Function of Cell Membranes

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

scholarly journals Photosynthetic hydrogen production by droplet-based microbial micro-reactors under aerobic conditions

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhijun Xu ◽  
Shengliang Wang ◽  
Chunyu Zhao ◽  
Shangsong Li ◽  
Xiaoman Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hydrogen Production ◽  
Self Assembly ◽  
Spatial Organization ◽  
Oxygen Depletion ◽  
Bacterial Cells ◽  
Multicellular Spheroids ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Aerobic Conditions ◽  
Micro Reactors ◽  
And Function

AbstractThe spontaneous self-assembly of multicellular ensembles into living materials with synergistic structure and function remains a considerable challenge in biotechnology and synthetic biology. Here, we exploit the aqueous two-phase separation of dextran-in-PEG emulsion micro-droplets for the capture, spatial organization and immobilization of algal cells or algal/bacterial cell communities to produce discrete multicellular spheroids capable of both aerobic (oxygen producing) and hypoxic (hydrogen producing) photosynthesis in daylight under air. We show that localized oxygen depletion results in hydrogen production from the core of the algal microscale reactor, and demonstrate that enhanced levels of hydrogen evolution can be achieved synergistically by spontaneously enclosing the photosynthetic cells within a shell of bacterial cells undergoing aerobic respiration. Our results highlight a promising droplet-based environmentally benign approach to dispersible photosynthetic microbial micro-reactors comprising segregated cellular micro-niches with dual functionality, and provide a step towards photobiological hydrogen production under aerobic conditions.

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