An Introduction to Biological Membranes

I. Membrane Composition and Structure

Chapter 1. Introduction to Biological Membranes

• 1. What Is a Biological Membrane?
• 2. General Membrane Functions
• 3. Eukaryote Cell Structure
• 4. Size of Domains
• 5. Basic Composition of Membranes
• 6. Summary

Chapter 2. Membrane History

• 1. Oil on Water: Interface Studies
• 2. The Lipid Bilayer Membrane
• 3. Summary

Chapter 3. Water and the Hydrophobic Effect

• 1. Water: Strength in Numbers
• 2. Structure of Water
• 3. Properties of Water: No Ordinary Joe
• 4. Surface Tension
• 5. The Hydrophobic Effect
• 6. Summary

Chapter 4. Membrane Lipids: Fatty Acids

• 1. What Are Lipids?
• 2. Why Are There so Many Different Lipids?
• 3. Lipid Classification Systems
• 4. Fatty Acids
• 5. Summary

Chapter 5. Membrane Polar Lipids

• 1. Introduction
• 2. Bonds Connecting Acyl Chains
• 3. Phospholipids
• 4. Sphingolipids
• 5. Sterols
• 6. Membrane Lipid Distribution
• 7. Plant Lipids
• 8. Membrane Lipids Found in Low Abundance
• 9. Summary

Chapter 6. Membrane Proteins

• 1. Introduction
• 2. The Amino Acids
• 3. How Many Membrane Protein Types Are There?
• 4. Type I. Single Trans-Membrane α-Helix: Glycophorin
• 5. Type II. Multiple Trans-Membrane Span by α-Helices: Bacteriorhodopsin
• 6. Type III. Multiple Trans-Membrane Spans by β-Barrels
• 7. Type IV. Lipid-Anchored Proteins
• 8. Summary

Chapter 7. Membrane Sugars

• 1. Membrane Sugars – Introduction
• 2. Glycolipids
• 3. Glycoproteins
• 4. Summary

Chapter 8. From Lipid Bilayers to Lipid Rafts

• 1. Development of Membrane Models
• 2. The Danielli-Davson “Pauci-Molecular” Model
• 3. The Robertson “Unit Membrane” Model
• 4. Benson and Green Lipoprotein Subunit Models
• 5. Singer-Nicolson “Fluid Mosaic” Model
• 6. Simons Lipid Raft Model
• 7. Summary

Chapter 9. Basic Membrane Properties of the Fluid Mosaic Model

• 1. Size and Time Domains
• 2. Membrane Thickness
• 3. Membrane Asymmetry
• 4. Lateral Diffusion
• 5. Lipid Trans-Membrane Diffusion (Flip-Flop)
• 6. Lipid Melting Behavior
• 7. Membrane Fluidity
• 8. Membrane Dynamics: Harden M. McConnell and Dennis Chapman
• 9. Summary

Chapter 10. Lipid Membrane Properties

• 1. Complex Lipid Interactions
• 2. Nonlamellar Phases
• 3. Lipid Phase Diagrams
• 4. Lipid–Protein Interactions
• 5. Lipid Interdigitation
• 6. Summary

Chapter 11. Long-Range Membrane Properties

• 1. Membrane Lipid Packing
• 2. Membrane Protein Distribution
• 3. Imaging of Membrane Domains
• 4. Homeoviscous Adaptation
• 5. Summary

Chapter 12. Membrane Isolation Methods

• 1. Introduction
• 2. Breaking the Cell – Homogenization
• 3. Membrane Fractionation – Centrifugation
• 4. Membrane Fractionation – Noncentrifugation Methods
• 5. Membrane Markers
• 6. Summary

Chapter 13. Membrane Reconstitution

• 1. Membrane Detergents
• 2. Membrane Protein Isolation
• 3. Membrane Lipid Isolation
• 4. Lipid Models Used in Membrane Studies
• 5. Membrane Reconstitution
• 6. Lipid Rafts
• 7. Summary

II. Membrane Biological Functions

Chapter 14. Membrane Biogenesis: Fatty Acids

• 1. Introduction
• 2. Fatty Acid Biosynthesis
• 3. Fatty Acid Storage, Release, and Transport
• 4. Summary

Chapter 15. Membrane Biogenesis: Phospholipids, Sphingolipids, Plasmalogens, and Cholesterol

• 1. Phospholipids
• 2. Sphingolipids
• 3. Plasmalogens
• 4. Cholesterol
• 5. Summary

Chapter 16. Membrane Biogenesis: Proteins

• 1. Introduction
• 2. Synthesis of Secretory Proteins
• 3. Synthesis of Single-span Proteins (Nlumen/Ccytosol)
• 4. Synthesis of a Single-span Protein (Ncytosol/Clumen)
• 5. Synthesis of Multi-span Proteins
• 6. Synthesis of Glycosylphosphatidylinositol-Linked Proteins
• 7. Posttranslational Modifications
• 8. Summary

Chapter 17. Moving Components Through the Cell: Membrane Trafficking

• 1. Introduction
• 2. Endo-Membrane Flow (Secretion)
• 3. Receptor-Mediated Endocytosis
• 4. The Golgi
• 5. Intracellular Lipid Transport
• 6. Summary

Chapter 18. Membrane-Associated Processes

• 1. Anesthetics
• 2. G Protein–Coupled Reactions
• 3. Membrane Attack Complex
• 4. Nerve Conduction
• 5. Electron Transport/Oxidative Phosphorylation
• 6. Summary

Chapter 19. Membrane Transport

• 1. Introduction
• 2. Simple Passive Diffusion
• 3. Facilitated Diffusion
• 4. Active Transport
• 5. Ionophores
• 6. Gap Junctions
• 7. Other Ways to Cross the Membrane
• 8. Summary

Chapter 20. Bioactive Lipids

• 1. Introduction
• 2. Ceramides
• 3. Diacylglycerol
• 4. Eicosanoids
• 5. Steroid Hormones
• 6. Phosphatidic Acid
• 7. Summary

Chapter 21. Lipid-Soluble Vitamins

• 1. Introduction
• 2. Vitamin A
• 3. Vitamin D
• 4. Vitamin E
• 5. Vitamin K
• 6. Summary

Chapter 22. Membrane-Associated Diseases

• 1. Cystic Fibrosis
• 2. Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
• 3. Alzheimer's Disease
• 4. Demyelination Diseases
• 5. Aging
• 6. Summary

Chapter 23. Membranes and Human Health

• 1. Liposomes as Drug Delivery Agents
• 2. Affect of Dietary Lipids on Membrane Structure Function
• 3. Summary

Chapter 24. Cell Death, Apoptosis

• 1. Introduction
• 2. Necrosis
• 3. Apoptosis
• 4. Mechanisms of Apoptosis
• 5. Mitochondrial Role in Apoptosis
• 6. Extracellular Inducers of Apoptosis
• 7. Summary

Chapter 25. Chronology of Membrane Studies