Membrane Properties: Structure and Function

This lecture explores the properties of lipid membranes, emphasizing their structure, stability, controlled permeation, and functional protein environment. It delves into the mathematical descriptions of membranes on different scales, the diversity of membrane lipids, the composition of membranes, and the material properties such as thickness, bending modulus, and fluidity. The role of cholesterol in membrane constituents and its effects on membrane fluidity are discussed. The lecture also covers the significance of proteins in membranes, membrane functions like selective permeability and signal transduction, specific lipid interactions, and the forces between lipids in membrane aggregates. Additionally, it touches upon the shape effects of lipids, lipid self-assembly, and the size-dependent aggregation of lipids.