Introduction
S. J. Singer and G. L. Nicolson introduced the fluid mosaic model for the structure of cell membranes in 1972 that suggested the aggregation of some proteins in lipid bilayers (Singer and Nicolson 1972). As a theoretical consequence of this working hypothesis, components of biological membranes distribute laterally resulting in the creation of morphologically distinct domains with a heterogeneous molecular composition and supramolecular organization. Although the existence of such domains in cellular membranes is still controversially discussed, most authors now accept the concept that membrane domains with physicochemical properties that differ from the surrounding membrane environment exist (Lingwood and Simons 2010; Simons and Gerl 2010). This review will focus on certain aspects of glycosphingolipids (GSLs) that participate as driving forces in the formation of membrane microdomains and exert specific functions related to their physicochemical characteristics through...
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Acknowledgments
The authors are indebted to Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Helge Karch (Head of the Institute for Hygiene, University of Münster) and all collaborators of the Institute for Hygiene and the Institute of Medical Physics and Biophysics (University of Münster) for their continuous support. This work was supported by grants from the “Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft” (DFG)-funded cooperative projects MU845/4-1 and FR2569/1-1, the International Graduate School “Molecular Interactions of Pathogens with Biotic and Abiotic Surfaces” (GRK 1409, collaboration between the projects 3.10 and 3.6), and the Interdisciplinary Center for Clinical Research (IZKF) Münster project no. Müth2/028/10.
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Meisen, I., Mormann, M., Müthing, J. (2013). Glycosphingolipids. In: Roberts, G.C.K. (eds) Encyclopedia of Biophysics. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-16712-6_588
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-16712-6_588
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