A photoresponsive ion carrier based on calix[4]arene was synthesized for the control of Na+ flux across lipid bilayer membranes by visible light. Calix[4]arene was chosen as a basic skeleton of a photoresponsive ion carrier because its ether derivatives are known to act as Na+ ion carriers in lipid bilayer membranes. For the synthesis of a photoresponsive carrier, dimethylaminoazobenzene was in...

A photoresponsive ion carrier based on calix[4]arene was synthesized for the control of Na+ flux across lipid bilayer membranes by visible light. Calix[4]arene was chosen as a basic skeleton of a photoresponsive ion carrier because its ether derivatives are known to act as Na+ ion carriers in lipid bilayer membranes. For the synthesis of a photoresponsive carrier, dimethylaminoazobenzene was in...

In protein film electrochemistry for redox-active membrane proteins, the reconstitution of protein-tethered bilayer lipid membranes (ptBLMs) can maximize their functionality and stability at electrolyte/electrode interfaces. To understand impact protein–lipid interactions on ptBLM formation, we tracked process a in presence or absence transmembrane enzyme cytochrome c-dependent nitric oxide red...

We use a number of computational and experimental approaches to investigate the membrane topology of the membrane-interacting C-terminal domain of the HIV-1 gp41 fusion protein. Several putative transmembrane regions are identified using hydrophobicity analysis based on the Wimley-White scales, including the membrane-proximal external region (MPER). The MPER region is an important target for ne...

In the Fluid Mosaic Model for biological membrane structure, proposed by Singer and Nicolson in 1972, the lipid bilayer is represented as a neutral two-dimensional solvent in which the proteins of the membrane are dispersed and distributed randomly. The model portrays the membrane as dominated by a membrane lipid bilayer, directly exposed to the aqueous environment, and only occasionally interr...

The planar lipid bilayer membrane is assumed to be in osmotic equilibrium with the surrounding Plateau-Gibbs border (annulus) and entrapped microlenses. An electric field applied across the membrane raises the chemical potential of the alkane in the bilayer, causing it to shift from the bilayer to the annulus and microlenses. This shift results in a decrease in thickness.

A key to the development of lipid membrane-based devices is a fundamental understanding how molecular structure bilayer membrane influenced by type lipids used build membrane. This particularly important when proteins are included in these since precise environment affects ability incorporate and their functionality. Here, we neutron reflectometry investigate tethered membranes characterize inc...

Protein folding has been at the forefront of molecular cell biology research for several years. However, integral membrane proteins have eluded detailed molecular level study until recently. One reason is the often apparently insurmountable problem of mimicking the natural membrane bilayer with lipid or detergent mixtures. There is nevertheless a large body of information on lipid properties an...

The thylakoid membrane is the site of photochemical and electron transport reactions of oxygenic photosynthesis. The lipid composition of the thylakoid membrane, with two galactolipids, one sulfolipid, and one phospholipid, is highly conserved among oxygenic photosynthetic organisms. Besides providing a lipid bilayer matrix, thylakoid lipids are integrated in photosynthetic complexes particular...

Despite the fact that two thirds of all pharmaceuticals today target membrane proteins, we know rather little about them since the complexity of the cell membrane makes membrane proteins difficult to study. Furthermore, since membrane proteins control transport of molecules across cell membranes, it is also difficult to study such transportation processes. In this thesis a method for studying t...