Intracellular lipid distribution, transport, and sorting. A cell biologist's need for physicochemical information

Every scientist interested in the biological function of molecules or macro-molecular assemblies in cells sooner or later touches on questions concerning the interplay between the structure of these molecules and their physical environment. The present volume describes the application of physicochemical methods to study the structure, orientation, dynamics, and intermolecular interactions of molecules of biomembranes. These molecules include the membrane lipids and integral membrane proteins, but also proteins that are membrane-associated (some temporarily) such as cytoskeletal proteins, proteins responsible for the creation of lateral domains, and proteins involved in the various signal transduction cascades. The relevance of this field is obvious to anybody who has ever considered the multitude of biological processes that occur in cellular membranes, on the surface of cellular membranes, and across cellular membranes, and who has tried to count the number of different molecules involved. Two general aims can be recognized: (1) to define general properties of the lipids and proteins in biomembranes; (2) to characterize the unique properties of the various components and relate these to specific functions.