Biomembranes: Difference between revisions

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(New page: These are structures that are found in cells. The best known biomembrane is the plasma membrane, that separates the cell from the exterior --- but many internal organelles of the cell have...)
 
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== References ==
== References ==
*[http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/a906472i Maddalena Venturoli and Berend Smit "Simulating the self-assembly of model membranes"  Phys. Chem. Comm. '''10''' (1999) ]
*[http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/a906472i Maddalena Venturoli and Berend Smit "Simulating the self-assembly of model membranes"  Phys. Chem. Comm. '''10''' (1999) ]
*[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.physrep.2006.07.006 Berend Smit, Marieke Kranenburg, M., Maria Maddalena Sperotto, and Maddalena Venturoli "Mesoscopic models of biological membranes", Lect. Notes Phys '''704''' 259-286 (2006)]
*[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.physrep.2006.07.006  Maddalena Venturoli, Maria Maddalena Sperotto, Marieke Kranenburg, and Berend Smit "Mesoscopic models of biological membranes" Physics Reports '''437''' pp 1 - 54 (2006)]

Revision as of 09:50, 17 December 2007

These are structures that are found in cells. The best known biomembrane is the plasma membrane, that separates the cell from the exterior --- but many internal organelles of the cell have their own membranes. Lipids are considered to be their main structural ingredient. Typically, they are bilayer structures: amphiphilic aggregates in which the lipids expose their hydrophilic "heads" to the water, while shielding the hydrophobic "tails" in the interior.


Model membranes

The term "model membrane" has a twofold meaning. For theoreticians, it usually means a theoretical model of the actual microscopic system. For experimentalist, it means a simplified mixture in which only the main ingredients are employed (usually: water, one or several species of lipids, and salts).

References