Molecular interactions at the cell surface.

In this article, I have dealt briefly with the structures and properties of the proteins associated with membranes. The categorization of these proteins into integral and peripheral, and the recognition of several distinct types of transmembrane integral proteins, should help to clarify the problems of the functions and biosynthesis (particularly of the membrane attachment) of these proteins. It is likely that genetic defects in the structures of many of these proteins, or in their association with their respective membranes, as well as in the regulation of their membrane concentrations, can lead to various kinds of cellular dysfunction and diseases.