Tirsdag 28. marts 2006 kl. 19.30 på Syddansk Universitet i Odense, lokale U99.

Lektor  Luis A. Bagatolli   MEMPHYS. Syddansk Universitet. Biologiske membraner Nogle aspekter af fedtstoffers sociale liv NB: foredraget holdes på engelsk!

The idea that lipids are simply randomly organized building blocks of membranes (Singer and Nicolson, 1972) that form diffusion barriers between cytoplasm and the outside world has significantly changed since the discovery of the coexistence of stable lipid domains (different membrane regions with different physical properties) in lipid bilayers, approximately three decades ago (Gebhardt et al, 1977). 

Conversely, the consequences of the non-random lateral organization of lipid membranes have not been acknowledged, particularly from the biology field, until recently when the raft hypothesis was postulated (Simons and Ikonen, 1997). 

At present, however, the connection between membrane lateral structure and membrane function remains obscure. 

Still, there are simple questions regarding lipids and membranes that still need to be answered. 

For example, why do cells membranes contain thousands of different molecular lipid species? 

Why do the molar fractions of these species vary among different membranes? 

Is there a coherent code still hidden and waiting to be discovered? 

As Higelmann pointed out in his article “Getting ready for the decade of the lipids” (Higelmann, 2003) “…why not to speculate that (phospho)lipids and their metabolites will soon be the subject of an information explosion, similar to that presently occurring for genes and proteins?” . 

In this presentation I will address relevant aspects regarding the lipid organization in compositionally simple (model systems) and the potential correlation with that occurring in compositionally complex cases, such as the native biological membranes. 

Some methodological aspects will also be discussed in this presentation (Bagatolli, 2003).

Litteratur og links: Foredragsholderens hjemmeside
MEMPHYS Center for biomembran-fysik.

 
S.J. Singer and G.L. Nicolson, The fluid mosaic model of the structure of cell membranes, Science 175 (1972) 720-31.

Simons K and Ikonen E Functional rafts in cell membranes, Nature 387(1997) 569-572.

C. Gebhardt, H. Gruler and E. Sackmann, On domain structure and local curvature in lipid bilayers and biological membranes, Z Naturforsch [C] 32 (1977) 581-96.

L.A. Bagatolli, Direct observation of lipid domains in free standing bilayers: from simple to complex lipid mixtures, Chem Phys Lipids 122 (2003) 137-45.

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