Abstract
The plasma membrane represents an outstanding example of self-organization in biology. It plays a vital role in protecting the integrity of the cell interior and regulates meticulously the import and export of diverse substances. Its major building blocks are proteins and lipids, which self-assemble to a fluid lipid bilayer driven mainly by hydrophobic forces. Even if the plasma membrane appears-globally speaking-homogeneous at physiological temperatures, the existence of specialized nano- to micrometre-sized domains of raft-type character within cellular and synthetic membrane systems has been reported. It is hypothesized that these domains are the origin of a plethora of cellular processes, such as signalling or vesicular trafficking. This review intends to highlight the driving forces of lipid self-assembly into a bilayer membrane and the formation of small, transient domains within the plasma membrane. The mechanisms of self-assembly depend on several factors, such as the lipid composition of the membrane and the geometry of lipids. Moreover, the dynamics and organization of glycosphingolipids into nanometre-sized clusters will be discussed, also in the context of multivalent lectins, which cluster several glycosphingolipid receptor molecules and thus create an asymmetric stress between the two membrane leaflets, leading to tubular plasma membrane invaginations.This article is part of the theme issue 'Self-organization in cell biology'.
Highlights
The plasma membrane represents an outstanding example of self-organization in biology
This suggested that the assembly of HIV Gag proteins at the cytosolic leaflet of the cell membrane induces the accumulation of lipid rafts on the extracellular leaflet, so that the HIV envelope consists mainly of raft-like membrane after virus release [50]
We focus on the membrane reorganization driven by specific interactions of carbohydrate-binding proteins with glycosphingolipids, their host cell receptors
Summary
The plasma membrane physically separates the cytoplasm of living cells from the extracellular environment and maintains the physical integrity of the cell. It acts as a barrier that is selectively permeable to ions and organic molecules, and regulates transport processes into and out of the cell [1]. The plasma membrane is involved in a multitude of cellular processes, such as signalling and adhesion, among others [2,3]. It helps to hold the cytoskeleton in place to preserve the cell shape [4]. With respect to all these diverse functions, it sounds amazing that the plasma membrane represents a lipid matrix with a thickness of only 4–6 nm, with embedded integral and peripheral proteins [5,6]. The principles of how membrane lipids self-assemble into cell membranes and how lipid– lipid interactions lead to the formation of small, transient domains within the membrane will be outlined in the following
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