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The physical chemistry of biological membranes

Nature Chemical Biology volume 2, pages 564–567 (2006)Cite this article

Physical chemistry explains the principles of self-organization of lipids into bilayers that form the matrix of biological membranes, and continuum theory of membrane energetics is successful in explaining many biological processes. With increasing sophistication of investigative tools, there is now a growing appreciation for lipid diversity and for the role of individual lipids and specific lipid-protein interactions in membrane structure and function.

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Figure 1: The spontaneous reactions of adherent phospholipid bilayer membranes depend on lipid composition and tension.

Rebecca Henretta

Figure 2: AEA docked in CB1 R*.

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Acknowledgements

We thank P. H. Reggio for providing Figure 2.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. the Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Biophysics, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, US National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA

    Joshua Zimmerberg

  2. the Laboratory of Membrane Biochemistry and Biophysics, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, US National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA

    Klaus Gawrisch

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  1. Joshua Zimmerberg
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Zimmerberg, J., Gawrisch, K. The physical chemistry of biological membranes. Nat Chem Biol 2, 564–567 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/nchembio1106-564

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