Mapping the Membrane

From transporting substances to and from the cell to blocking pathogens, the cell membrane is on the front line of many key functions. Studying this fragile structure is difficult, but a new technique, based on labelling with stable isotopes of hydrogen, has recently enabled detailed investigations of the cell membrane in a living, intact bacterial cell. A cross-section of Bacillus subtilis shows the cell membrane, formed by two layers of lipids (in blue and red), between the cell wall (above) and the cytoplasm, containing proteins (orange), DNA and RNA (green). Altering the ratio of hydrogen atoms and their stable isotope, deuterium, in membrane lipids affects the way that neutrons, neutral subatomic particles, are scattered by the membrane, allowing nanoscale structures inside it to be revealed. This technique could unlock a new depth of understanding of the structure and function of cellular membranes, with a wide range of potential applications.

Written by Emmanuelle Briolat

Emmanuelle Briolat

Writer

A researcher specialising in visual signals in Lepidoptera, camouflage and the effects of light pollution, Emmanuelle’s writing covers a range of topics, from biomedical research to children’s books about moth defences.

Website

• Image from work by Jonathan D. Nickels and Sneha Chatterjee, and colleagues
• Shull Wollan Center—A Joint Institute for Neutron Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and the Biology and Soft Matter Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, TN, USA
• Image originally published under a Creative Commons Licence (BY 4.0)
• Published in PLOS Biology, May 2017