Cell membranes; barriers, regulators and transducers?
The concept of the cell membrane as a physical barrier has been progressively revised over the past 50 years to produce a model of a homeostatic regulatory system. Homeostatic feedback systems involve control and feedback transducers, with error detecting systems. It is, therefore, interesting to see how far the control of membrane fluidity, cell volume and ion composition can be interpreted in this way especially in epithelial systems. An attempt is made to consider the systems involved in extracellular, intracellular and stored calcium. When membranes are analysed in this way it is possible to identify questions about the extent to which cell regulation and cell transport might be in conflict, and how specific some membrane functions might be. These can then be related to the study of various adaptations to environmental stresses.
School of Animal and Microbial Sciences, University of Reading, UK. K.Simkiss@reading.ac.uk
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D000818:Animals; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000502:physiology*; D006706:Homeostasis; D018384:Oxidative Stress