Shimokawa Naofumi, Hamada Tsutomu
School of Materials Science, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 1-1 Asahidai, Nomi 923-1292, Ishikawa, Japan.
Life (Basel). 2023 Apr 28;13(5):1105. doi: 10.3390/life13051105.
Lateral phase separation within lipid bilayer membranes has attracted considerable attention in the fields of biophysics and cell biology. Living cells organize laterally segregated compartments, such as raft domains in an ordered phase, and regulate their dynamic structures under isothermal conditions to promote cellular functions. Model membrane systems with minimum components are powerful tools for investigating the basic phenomena of membrane phase separation. With the use of such model systems, several physicochemical characteristics of phase separation have been revealed. This review focuses on the isothermal triggering of membrane phase separation from a physical point of view. We consider the free energy of the membrane that describes lateral phase separation and explain the experimental results of model membranes to regulate domain formation under isothermal conditions. Three possible regulation factors are discussed: electrostatic interactions, chemical reactions and membrane tension. These findings may contribute to a better understanding of membrane lateral organization within living cells that function under isothermal conditions and could be useful for the development of artificial cell engineering.
脂质双分子层膜内的侧向相分离在生物物理学和细胞生物学领域引起了相当大的关注。活细胞组织侧向隔离的区室，如处于有序相的筏结构域，并在等温条件下调节其动态结构以促进细胞功能。具有最少组分的模型膜系统是研究膜相分离基本现象的有力工具。通过使用此类模型系统，已经揭示了相分离的若干物理化学特性。本综述从物理学角度聚焦于膜相分离的等温触发。我们考虑描述侧向相分离的膜自由能，并解释模型膜在等温条件下调节结构域形成的实验结果。讨论了三种可能的调节因素：静电相互作用、化学反应和膜张力。这些发现可能有助于更好地理解在等温条件下发挥功能的活细胞内的膜侧向组织，并且可能有助于人工细胞工程的发展。
