Biological membranes have long been identified as key elements in a wide variety of cellular processes including cell defense communication, photosynthesis, signal transduction, and motility; thus they emerge as primary targets in both basic and applied research. This book brings together in a single volume the most recent views of experts in the area of protein-lipid interactions, providing an overview of the advances that have been achieved in the field in recent years, from very basic aspects to specialized technological applications. Topics include the application of X-ray and neutron diffraction, infrared and fluorescence spectroscopy, and high-resolution NMR to the understanding of the specific interactions between lipids and proteins within biological membranes, their structural relationships, and the implications for the biological functions that they mediate. Also covered in this volume are the insertion of proteins and peptides into the membrane and the concomitant formation of definite lipid domains within the membrane.

Inhalt
From Lipid Phases to Membrane Protein Organization: Fluorescence Methodologies in the Study of Lipid-Protein Interactions.- NMR of Membrane Proteins in Lipid Environments: the Bcl-2 Family of Apoptosis Regulators.- X-ray and Neutron Diffraction Approaches to the Structural Analysis of Protein-Lipid Interactions.- The Role of Proteins in the Formation of Domains in Membranes.- Lateral Membrane Structure and Lipid-Protein Interactions.- The Membrane as a System: How Lipid Structure Affects Membrane Protein Function.- Peptide-Lipid Interaction: Shedding Light into the Mode of Action and Cell Specificity of Antimicrobial Peptides.- Structural and Functional Modulation of Ion Channels by Specific Lipids: from Model Systems to Cell Membranes.