Cell membranes protect and organize cells. All cells have an outer plasma membrane that regulates not only what enters the cell, but also how much of any given substance comes in. Unlike prokaryotes, ...

Scientists have uncovered an elegant biophysical trick that tuberculosis-causing bacteria use to survive inside human cells, ...

Researchers describe a natural product-like molecule, Tantalosin, that inhibits interaction between two proteins in complexes that reshape membranes inside the cell. The findings lead to a deeper ...

Lipid bilayers in mammalian membranes can have a more asymmetric composition than previously thought, new research shows. This lipid abundance asymmetry is enabled by the unique properties of ...

The chemical reactions on which life depends need a place to happen. That place is the cell. All the things which biology recognises as indisputably alive are either cells or conglomerations of cells ...

Modern cells are complex chemical entities with cytoskeletons, finely regulated internal and external molecules, and genetic material that determines nearly every aspect of their functioning. This ...

Structure of the cell membrane and conceptual diagrams of (a) short-range viscosity and (b) long-range viscosity. (a) Random thermal motion of lipids on a nanometer scale is not impeded by proteins or ...

Proteins long known to be essential for hearing have been hiding a talent: they also act as gatekeepers that shuffle fatty molecules across cell membranes. When this newly discovered function goes ...

An enduring challenge for the commercialization of genetic therapies is delivering the therapeutic molecules to the proper destination within the body. Viruses are natural delivery systems for nucleic ...

Ion channels are narrow passageways that play a pivotal role in many biological processes. To model how ions move through ...

In hydrogen fuel cells, electrolyte membranes frequently undergo deformation and develop cracks during operation. A research team has recently introduced a fatigue-resistant polymer electrolyte ...