Membrane biophysics articles within Nature Physics

Featured

  • News & Views |

    Cells actively rearrange their cytoplasmic machinery to perform diverse functions. Now, friction forces generated between cytoplasmic components provide a physical basis for cell shape change.

    • Toby G. R. Andrews
    •  & Rashmi Priya

  • Comment |

    Macroscale analogies are a powerful conceptual tool with which we can gain insight into the structures and processes of the microscopic world of cell biology.

    • Michelle A. Baird

  • Research Briefing |

    Organs in the human body have complex networks of fluid-filled tubes and loops with different geometries and topologies. By studying self-organized, synthetic tissues, the link between topological transitions and the emergence of tissue architecture was revealed.

  • Letter
    | Open Access

    During development, tissues with complex topology emerge from collections of cells with simple geometry. This process in neuroepithelial organoids is governed by two topologically distinct modes of epithelial fusion.

    • Keisuke Ishihara
    • , Arghyadip Mukherjee
    •  & Frank Jülicher

  • Article |

    A detailed theoretical and experimental investigation of homogeneous cell tissues finds that they can undergo spontaneous spatial symmetry breaking through a purely electrophysiological mechanism.

    • Harold M. McNamara
    • , Rajath Salegame
    •  & Adam E. Cohen

  • Article |

    A rigid particle moving along a soft wall feels a repulsive force that can reduce its drag. Evidence now suggests that for thin enough walls the particle can be displaced appreciably—a finding that may have implications for biological membranes.

    • Bhargav Rallabandi
    • , Naomi Oppenheimer
    •  & Howard A. Stone

  • Perspective |

    Robust and responsive, the surface of a cell is as important as its interior when it comes to mechanically regulating form and function. New techniques are shedding light on this role, and a common language to describe its properties is now needed.

    • Alba Diz-Muñoz
    • , Orion D. Weiner
    •  & Daniel A. Fletcher

  • Article |

    The proteins that adhere cells together in tissue assemble in domains near the cell–cell interface. Experiments, simulations and theory show that formation of these domains is regulated by the membrane itself — with an explicit role for fluctuations.

    • Susanne F. Fenz
    • , Timo Bihr
    •  & Ana-Sunčana Smith

  • Article |

    Segregation between binding and non-binding proteins in the space between cells is critical for immune response. In vitro experiments show that size alone suffices to explain the exclusion of non-binding proteins from membrane interfaces.

    • Eva M. Schmid
    • , Matthew H. Bakalar
    •  & Daniel A. Fletcher

  • Article |

    Biomembranes can transmit forces over cellular length scales. Now, however, their active role in generating stress is demonstrated. The adhesion and spreading of a liposome that has no active cytoskeletal machinery are shown to contract the substrate, exerting traction stresses that are comparable with those of living cells.

    • Michael P. Murrell
    • , Raphaël Voituriez
    •  & Margaret L. Gardel

Browse broader subjects

Browse narrower subjects

Browse Membrane biophysics across other nature.com journals