Unfortunately, to date, this seems impossible… These objectives demand the performance of imaging the membrane at high spatio-temporal resolution, at a high signal-to-noise ratio, in a native-like environment. The final goal being to acquire a dynamic and integrated view of the native bio-membrane. Therefore, in future studies the focus shall be shifted onto interaction dynamics, conformational changes and supramolecular complexes of membrane proteins. The difficulty for membrane protein crystallisation is hidden in the amphiphilic nature of these molecules, however technical problems are being overcome by modern crystallisation methods, as visible from the exponential increase of solved structures. Therefore, studies of disorders at the level of membrane proteins and their organisation within the membrane are essential to provide novel strategies for the effective treatment of illness.Īt present about 300 unique membrane protein structures have been solved. Notably ~60% of nowadays drugs target membrane proteins, underlining the medical importance of this class of proteins. The functional importance of membrane proteins explains why a lot of pathologies are related to disorders at the membrane protein level.
The membrane proteins are known to be key molecules for plenty vital cellular functions: transport, energy transduction, signaling, and communication, to name a few. The lipid membrane bilayer serves also as a matrix for a multitude of membrane proteins. In eukaryotic cells, membranes also divide the internal space into discrete compartments, organelles, to segregate processes and components. The boundary membrane structure that defines all cells is called the plasma membrane. One of the key characteristics of life is the existence of a boundary that delineates the organism from its outer environment.
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