Lecture

Membrane Properties: Lipids and Polymersomes

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In course

MSE-209: Transfer phenomena in materials science

Ce cours porte sur le transfert de la chaleur par conduction, convection et rayonnement, ainsi que sur la diffusion à l'état solide. D'après les règles phénoménologiques (Equations de Fourrier et Fick), des problèmes de solution 1-D et 2-D ainsi que modèle ...

Description

This lecture covers the properties of lipid membranes, including the mechanical properties of vesicles, the phases of lipids in liposomes, and the transition temperatures of phospholipids. It also discusses the stability of liposomes, the mobility of block-copolymers in polymersome membranes, and the functionalization of polymersomes to achieve responsiveness to stimuli like UV light and pH changes.

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Official source

Ontological neighbourhood

Biology

Cell biology: Membrane biology

Related concepts (32)

Lipid

Lipids are a broad group of organic compounds which include fats, waxes, sterols, fat-soluble vitamins (such as vitamins A, D, E and K), monoglycerides, diglycerides, phospholipids, and others. The functions of lipids include storing energy, signaling, and acting as structural components of cell membranes. Lipids have applications in the cosmetic and food industries, and in nanotechnology.

Membrane technology

Membrane technology encompasses the scientific processes used in the construction and application of membranes. Membranes are used to facilitate the transport or rejection of substances between mediums, and the mechanical separation of gas and liquid streams. In the simplest case, filtration is achieved when the pores of the membrane are smaller than the diameter of the undesired substance, such as a harmful microorganism.

Lipid bilayer

The lipid bilayer (or phospholipid bilayer) is a thin polar membrane made of two layers of lipid molecules. These membranes are flat sheets that form a continuous barrier around all cells. The cell membranes of almost all organisms and many viruses are made of a lipid bilayer, as are the nuclear membrane surrounding the cell nucleus, and membranes of the membrane-bound organelles in the cell. The lipid bilayer is the barrier that keeps ions, proteins and other molecules where they are needed and prevents them from diffusing into areas where they should not be.

Vesicle (biology and chemistry)

In cell biology, a vesicle is a structure within or outside a cell, consisting of liquid or cytoplasm enclosed by a lipid bilayer. Vesicles form naturally during the processes of secretion (exocytosis), uptake (endocytosis), and the transport of materials within the plasma membrane. Alternatively, they may be prepared artificially, in which case they are called liposomes (not to be confused with lysosomes). If there is only one phospholipid bilayer, the vesicles are called unilamellar liposomes; otherwise they are called multilamellar liposomes.

Lipid raft

The plasma membranes of cells contain combinations of glycosphingolipids, cholesterol and protein receptors organised in glycolipoprotein lipid microdomains termed lipid rafts. Their existence in cellular membranes remains somewhat controversial. It has been proposed that they are specialized membrane microdomains which compartmentalize cellular processes by serving as organising centers for the assembly of signaling molecules, allowing a closer interaction of protein receptors and their effectors to promote kinetically favorable interactions necessary for the signal transduction.

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