Molecular biology, membrane

The modem era of biochemistry and molecular biology has been shaped not least by the isolation and characterization of individual molecules. Recently, however, more and more polyfunctional macromolecular complexes are being discovered, including nonrandomly codistributed membrane-bound proteins [41], These are made up of several individual proteins, which can assemble spontaneously, possibly in the presence of a lipid membrane or an element of the cytoskeleton [42] which are themselves supramolecular complexes. Some of these complexes, e.g. snail haemocyanin [4o], are merely assembled from a very large number of identical subunits vimses are much larger and more elaborate and we are still some way from understanding the processes controlling the assembly of the wonderfully intricate and beautiful stmctures responsible for the iridescent colours of butterflies and moths [44]. 

KM Merz Jr, B Roux, eds. Biological Membranes A Molecular Perspective from Computation and Experiment. Boston Birkhauser, 1996. 

B Roux, TB Woolf. Molecular dynamics of Pfl coat protein in a phospholipid bilayer. In KM Merz Ir, B Roux, eds. Biological Membranes A Molecular Perspective from Computation and Experiment. Boston Birkhauser, 1996, pp 555-587. 

FIGURE 22.20 The molecular architecture of PSI. PsaA and PsaB constitute the reaction center dimer, an integral membrane complex P700 is located at the lumenal side of this dimer. PsaC, which bears Fe-S centers and Fb, and PsaD, the interaction site for ferre-doxin, are on the stromal side of the thylakoid membrane. PsaF, which provides the plasto-cyaiiin interaction site, is on the lumenal side. (Adapted from Golbeck, J. H., 1992. Amiual Review of Plant Physiology and. Plant Molecular Biology 43 293-324.)... 

Hankamer, B., Barber,/, and Boekema, E. J., 1997. Structure and membrane organization of photosystem II in green plants. Annual Review of Plant Physiology and Plant Molecular Biology 48 641—671. 

Although for the moment this model is only partially supported by experimental data it offers the opportunity to design new experiments which will help to understand the mechanisms of pardaxin insertion and pore formation in lipid bilayers and biological membranes which at a molecular level are the events leading to shark repellency and toxicity of this marine toxin. 

Henry S.A. (1982) Membrane lipids of yeast biochemical mid genetic studies. In The Molecular Biology of the Yeast Saccharomyces, vol. 2. Metabolism and Biosynthesis (eds J.N. Strathem, E.W. Jones J.R. Broach), pp. 101-158. Cold Spring Harbor, NY Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. 

Palacin, M, Estevez, R, Bertran, J and Zorzano, A (1998) Molecular biology of mammalian plasma membrane amino acid transporters. Physiol. Rev. 78 969-1054. 

A close relationship exists between physicochemical properties of pigment molecules and their ability to be absorbed and thus to exhibit biological functions. Carotenoids are hydrophobic molecules that require a lipophilic environment. In vivo, they are found in precise locations and orientations within biological membranes. For example, the dihydroxycarotenoids such as lutein and zeaxanthin orient themselves perpendicularly to the membrane surface as molecular rivets in order to expose their hydroxyl groups to a more polar environment. 

It was tempting to base the study of membrane transport in eukaryotic cells on similar simple principles. For this purpose, as well as for molecular biology as a whole, the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae appeared to be the best suited organism. From early times on, this yeast has occupied a privileged place for mankind. Due to... 

The first two volumes in the series New Comprehensive Biochemistry appeared in 1981. Volume 1 dealt with membrane structure and Volume 2 with membrane transport. The editors of the last volume (the present editor being one of them) tried to provide an overview of the state of the art of the research in that field. Most of the chapters dealt with kinetic approaches aiming to understand the mechanism of the various types of transport of ions and metabolites across biological membranes. Although these methods have not lost their significance, the development of molecular biological techniques and their application in this field has given to the area of membrane transport such a new dimension that the appearance of a volume in the series New Comprehensive Biochemistry devoted to molecular aspects of membrane proteins is warranted. 

S. Santi, A. de Marco, G. Locci, S. Cesco, R. Pinton, and Z. Varanini. Possible involvement of root plasma membrane H -ATPa.se isoforms in the induction of nitrate tran.sport. Proc. 6th hit. Symp. Genetics and Molecular Biology of Plant Nutrition. Elsinore, Denmark, 1998, Mbl. 

H. R. Petty, Molecular Biology of Membranes. Structure and Function, Plenum Press, New York, 1993. 

With the exception of rather small polar molecules, the majority of compounds, including drugs, appear to penetrate biological membranes via a lipid route. As a result, the membrane permeability of most compounds is dependent on K0/w. The physicochemical interpretation of this general relationship is based on the atomic and molecular forces to which the solute molecules are exposed in the aqueous and lipid phases. Thus, the ability of a compound to partition from an aqueous to a lipid phase of a membrane involves the balance between solute-water and solute-membrane intermolecular forces. If the attractive forces of the solute-water interaction are greater than those of the solute-membrane interaction, membrane permeability will be relatively poor and vice versa. In examining the permeability of a homologous series of compounds... 

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