The Lateral Organization and Mobility of Plasma Membrane Components

• Published in: Cell Vol. 177; no. 4; pp. 806 - 819
• Main Authors: Jacobson, Ken, Liu, Ping, Lagerholm, B. Christoffer
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 02-05-2019
• Subjects: actin cortex; Cell Membrane - metabolism; Cell Membrane - physiology; lateral mobility; Lipid Bilayers - chemistry; membrane dynamics; Membrane Lipids - metabolism; Membrane Microdomains - chemistry; Membrane Microdomains - metabolism; membrane proteins; Membrane Proteins - metabolism; Membrane Proteins - physiology; pericellular matrix; plasma membrane; rafts; rafts; membrane proteins; pericellular matrix; plasma membrane; lateral mobility; actin cortex; membrane dynamics
• ISSN: 0092-8674; 1097-4172
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2019.04.018

Over the last several decades, an impressive array of advanced microscopic and analytical tools, such as single-particle tracking and nanoscopic fluorescence correlation spectroscopy, has been applied to characterize the lateral organization and mobility of components in the plasma membrane. Such analysis can tell researchers about the local dynamic composition and structure of membranes and is important for predicting the outcome of membrane-based reactions. However, owing to the unresolved complexity of the membrane and the structures peripheral to it, identification of the detailed molecular origin of the interactions that regulate the organization and mobility of the membrane has not proceeded quickly. This Perspective presents an overview of how cell-surface structure may give rise to the types of lateral mobility that are observed and some potentially fruitful future directions to elucidate the architecture of these structures in more molecular detail.
The local, dynamic structure of the cell surface, which incorporates the lateral distribution and movement of components in the plasma membrane, shapes the outcome of diverse cell behaviors, including signal transduction, endo- and exocytosis, and cell motility.