The effect of temperature on the lateral diffusion of plasma membrane proteins.
Cooling is expected to gradually reduce the lateral diffusion of membrane proteins, at a rate predicted from the changes in viscosity and order observed on cooling defined lipids and lipid mixtures. However, a continuous change in diffusion rate with falling temperature is not observed in mammalian cells. Rather, on cooling below around 20 degrees C, protein diffusion rates are found to increase, reaching a new maximum at 15 degrees C. This anomaly in diffusion rate could result in irreversible changes in membrane structure when mammalian cells are cooled to temperatures below 20 degrees C.
D000818:Animals; D000941:Antigens; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000502:physiology*; D004058:Diffusion; D006801:Humans; D006822:Hybrid Cells / Q000502:physiology; D008563:Membrane Lipids / Q000502:physiology*; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D013696:Temperature; D014783:Viscosity
D000941:Antigens; D008563:Membrane Lipids; D008565:Membrane Proteins