Composition and Organization of Membranes

Another property of cell membranes in addition to compartmentalization is their ability to fuse. This is important for intracellular vesicle transport between intracellular organelles as well as, for example, for the fusion of enveloped viruses with target cell membranes. 

1 The Physiology of Cells and the Importance of Membranes for their Functioning 

All living cells are surrounded by one or several membranes. The membrane defines the cell as a living unit and separates the cell more or less from the surrounding it separates intracellular from extracellular domains. Developed organisms are comparable to cell states in which groups of cells are specialized for special functions and are connected through complex communication networks. Any disorder in the communication of such 

Cholesterol with a single hydroxy group possesses weak amphipathic character and leads to a specific orientation in the phospholipid structure. 

C-atoms Fatty Acyl Substituents (R), Chemical structure 

Phospholipid Plasma membranes Golgi membranes Lysosomal membranes 

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The composition and organization of membrane lipid species are altered in several human diseases (Alemany et al., 2007 Vigh et al., 2005). For example, in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus massive changes occur in lipid composition of the rat myocardium causing a 46% increase in PI levels and a 22% decrease in PE content, which was prevented by insulin treatment after induction of the... 

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