Biomembranes as catalysts of mass, energy and information transfer

Abstract

Biomembranes, in their majority bilayer structures composed of amphipathic lipids, play an essential role in various fundamental cell-based processes. Thus they catalyze the flow of matter in terms of enzyme reactions but mainly the transfer of substances from one topological compartment to another. They support conversions of one form of energy to another and are the site of capturing radiant energy from the sun, the most fundamental energetic process on earth. They are the site where information signals, both physical and chemical, are received from the external as well as internal environment.