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LIPIDS

Asymmetry across the membrane

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A combination of biochemical and biophysical techniques to document the asymmetric distribution of lipids, with a particular focus on the acyl tails, in mammalian cell membranes show that protein transmembrane domains are similarly asymmetric.

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Fig. 1: Membranes feature asymmetric lipid distributions and biophysical properties, matched by asymmetric protein transmembrane domains.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, Department of Mathematics and Centre of Membrane Proteins and Receptors (COMPARE), University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK

    Maria Makarova & Dylan M. Owen

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  1. Maria Makarova
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  2. Dylan M. Owen
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Correspondence to Dylan M. Owen.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Makarova, M., Owen, D.M. Asymmetry across the membrane. Nat Chem Biol 16, 605–606 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41589-020-0545-6

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