Driving membrane curvature
(Phys.org) -- In biological systems, membranes are as important as water. They form the barrier between the inner world, within our cells, where we perform the chemical reactions of life, and the outside environment.
(Phys.org) -- In biological systems, membranes are as important as water. They form the barrier between the inner world, within our cells, where we perform the chemical reactions of life, and the outside environment.
General Physics
Jun 14, 2012
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(Phys.org) -- As the interface between the cell and its environment, the cell membrane, which consists of fats and proteins, fulfils a variety of vital functions. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry in ...
Cell & Microbiology
May 5, 2012
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(Phys.org) -- With the aid of a novel set of lipid-coated, targeted quantum dots, researchers at Johns Hopkins University have developed a method for quantifying multiple specific biomarkers on the surfaces of individual ...
Bio & Medicine
Apr 6, 2012
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At the heart of the immune system that protects our bodies from disease and foreign invaders is a vast and complex communications network involving millions of cells, sending and receiving chemical signals that can mean life ...
Nanophysics
Mar 23, 2012
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For cells to signal each other to carry out their vital work, could the cell membrane's lipids -- or fats -- play a role in buttering-up the process? A research group led by University of Illinois at Chicago chemistry professor ...
Cell & Microbiology
Mar 22, 2012
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Why does inhaling anesthetics cause unconsciousness? New insights into this century-and-a-half-old question may spring from research performed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Scientists ...
Biochemistry
Mar 21, 2012
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Every cell is enclosed by a thin double layer of lipids that separates the distinct internal environment of the cell from the extracellular space. Damage to this lipid bilayer, also referred to as plasma membrane, disturbs ...
Cell & Microbiology
Mar 14, 2012
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A new way of manipulating fluids on microscopic levels brings us one step closer to "bottom-up" artificial cell constructs.
Biochemistry
Dec 16, 2011
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Could controlling cell-membrane fat play a key role in turning off disease?
Biochemistry
Oct 9, 2011
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The cell is a host of many complex reaction pathways. These pathways usually do not interfere with each other because they are contained within membrane-bound compartments, known as organelles. The lipid membrane is extremely ...
Polymers
Sep 29, 2011
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