Nonlamellar-prone lipids

Within the last decade, scientists have recognized that roughly 25-50% of the lipids in a typical biomembrane do not form stable bilayer phases when they are purified and hydrated under normal cellular conditions (8). The prevalence of nonlamellar-prone lipids in biomembranes has stimulated research on the phase behavior of lipids and has led to suggestions that nonlamellar-prone lipids participate in essential cellular functions (2, 8). This theory has been supported by experiments that suggest that at least some cells have metabolic mechanisms that act to regulate the nonlamellar-prone lipids in the bilayers (7, 9, 10). 

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