title: The mystery of membrane organization: composition, regulation and roles of lipid rafts.
abstract: Cellular plasma membranes are laterally heterogeneous, featuring a variety of distinct subcompartments that differ in their biophysical properties and composition. A large number of studies have focused on understanding the basis for this heterogeneity and its physiological relevance. The membrane raft hypothesis formalized a physicochemical principle for a subtype of such lateral membrane heterogeneity, in which the preferential associations between cholesterol and saturated lipids drive the formation of relatively packed (or ordered) membrane domains that selectively recruit certain lipids and proteins. Recent studies have yielded new insights into this mechanism and its relevance in vivo, owing primarily to the development of improved biochemical and biophysical technologies.
authors.affiliation: MRC Human Immunology Unit, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Headley Way, Oxford OX3 9DS, UK.
authors.forename: Erdinc
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sezgin
authors.affiliation: Department of Integrative Biology and Pharmacology, University of Texas Health Science Center, 6431 Fannin Street, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Ilya
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Levental
authors.affiliation: National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute for Fundamental Research, Bellary Road, Bangalore 560065, India.
authors.forename: Satyajit
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mayor
authors.affiliation: MRC Human Immunology Unit, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Headley Way, Oxford OX3 9DS, UK.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Eggeling
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008563:Membrane Lipids / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D021962:Membrane Microdomains / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D008563:Membrane Lipids