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This volume assembles contemporary evidence of domain formation in membranes gathered by leading researchers in fields ranging from membrane biophysics to cell biology. Questions relating to how non-random membrane arrangements are defined, detected and monitored to characterise their dynamic behaviour are addressed. The components associated with membrane rafts are examined and the different mechanisms employed to create membrane microdomains are considered. Evidence relating to the regulation of membrane microdomain formation in the context of membrane biogenesis and homeostasis is discussed. The role of membrane domain formation in the generation and transmission of signals transduced via membranes to evoke a variety of physiological responses is examined and examples of where membrane domain structures are involved in infection and disease states are provided.
List of contents
1: Membrane Domain Structure. Membrane Receptor Mapping: Membrane Topography of FcepsilonRI Signalling; J.M. Oliver, J.R. Pfeiffer, Z. Surviladze, S.L Steinberg, K. Leiderman, M.L. Sanders, C. Wofsy, Jun Zhang, Hong You Fan, N. Andrews, S. Bunge, T.J. Boyle, P. Kotula, B.S. Wilson. Rafts, Little Caves and Large Potholes: How Lipid Structure Interacts With Membrane Proteins to Create Functionally Diverse Membrane Environments; R. Morris, H. Cox, E. Mombelli, P.J. Quinn.
2: Membrane Domain Composition. Lipid Raft Proteins and their Identification in T Lymphocytes; B. Wollscheid, R. Aebersold, J.D. Watts. Lipid Composition of Membrane Domains; K.S. Koumanov, C. Wolf, P.J. Quinn.
3: Creation of Membrane Microdomains. Sphingomyelin and Cholesterol: From Membrane biophysics and rafts to potential medical applications; Y. Barenholz. Membrane Targeting of Signal Transduction Proteins; M.D. Resh. Role of the membrane skeleton in creation of microdomains; K. Ritchie, A. Kusumi. Membrane/Cytoskeleton Communication; K.F. Meiri.
4: Regulation of Domain Formation. GPI-anchored Protein Cleavage in the Regulation of Transmembrane Signals; F.J. Sharom, G. Radeva. Membrane Lipid Homeostasis; C. Wolf, P.J. Quinn. Phospholipid Metabolism in Lung Surfactant; R. Veldhuizen, F. Possmayer.
5: Signal Transduction Processes. Membrane Targeting in Secretion; M. Schrader.
6: Domain Dynamics in Disease. Oxidative Stress, caveolae and caveolin-1; M.-O. Parat, P.L. Fox. The role of lipid microdomains in virus biology; D.P. Nayak, E. K.-W. Hui.
Summary
The fluid-mosaic model of membrane structure formulated by Singer and Nicolson in the early 1970s has proven to be a durable concept in terms of the principles governing the organization of the constituent lipids and proteins. During the past 30 or so years a great deal of information has accumulated on the composition of various cell membranes and how this is related to the dif ferent functions that membranes perform. Nevertheless, the task of explaining particular functions at the molecular level has been hampered by lack of struc tural detail at the atomic level. The reason for this is primarily the difficulty of crystallizing membrane proteins which require strategies that differ from those used to crystallize soluble proteins. The unique exception is bacteriorhodopsin of the purple membrane of Halobacterium halobium which is interpolated into a membrane that is neither fluid nor in a mosaic configuration. To date only 50 or so membrane proteins have been characterised to atomic resolution by diffraction methods, in contrast to the vast data accumulated on soluble proteins. Another factor that has been difficult to explain is the reason why the lipid compliment of membranes is often extremely complex. Many hundreds of different molecular species of lipid can be identified in some membranes. Remarkably, the particular composition of each membrane appears to be main tained within relatively narrow limits and its identity distinguished from other morphologically-distinct membranes.
