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Electron Microscopy Analysis of Multilamellar Vesicles Prepared from Synthetic Lipids: A Model System for Studying Membrane Structure in the Molecular Cell Biology Classroom and Laboratory

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 March 2018

Russell R. Camp
Affiliation:
Gordon College, Wenham, MA
Jungsoo Byun*
Affiliation:
Gordon College, Wenham, MA
Robert Jacob
Affiliation:
Elucida Research, LLC, Beverly, MA USA

Extract

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The cell is the fundamental unit of all living organisms, ranging from the unicellular archaea and bacteria (prokaryotes) to higher multicellular plants and animals (eukaryotes). All cells are bounded by a complex and dynamic plasma membrane, which functions principally to maintain cellular and organismal steady state by performing complex energy transformations and regulating the flow of information for the cell. The cell membrane also performs a number of vital housekeeping functions, which include control of the transport of substances between extracellular and intracellular environments, participation in cell signaling cascades by hosting receptors of extracellular ligands, and facilitating critical cell-to-cell communications in multicellular organisms (Karp, 2005).

Considerable research over the last fifty years has significantly increased our understanding of cell membranes and their structural organization. Every membrane is fundamentally comprised of a dynamic lipid bilayer that supports a variety of transmembrane and membraneassociated proteins.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Microscopy Society of America 2004

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