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Asymmetrical Lipid Bilayer Structure for Biological Membranes

Abstract

IT is generally accepted that the matrix of cellular membranes is a bimolecular leaflet of phospholipid molecules in which the phospholipids are oriented so that their polar heads reside on the outer surfaces of the bilayer, in contact with the aqueous environment, the interior of the sandwich being composed of hydrophobic lipid chains1–5. To this basic structure proteins cholesterol, glycolipids and other molecules are usually inserted in such a way as to confer on the bilayer the functional properties appropriate for the particular membrane.

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BRETSCHER, M. Asymmetrical Lipid Bilayer Structure for Biological Membranes. Nature New Biology 236, 11–12 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1038/newbio236011a0

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