Membrane Fluidity and Protein Diffusion

This lecture discusses the concept of membrane fluidity and protein diffusion in cells. The instructor explains how the movement of proteins within the plasma membrane is crucial for cell survival, detailing experiments involving the fusion of mouse and human cells to study protein diffusion. The lecture covers topics such as the fluid mosaic model, fluorescence recovery after photobleaching, and differential scanning calorimetry to determine the melting temperature of membranes. The importance of lipid composition, double bonds, and fatty acid chain length in regulating membrane fluidity is also highlighted, along with the adaptation of cell membranes to different temperatures for survival.