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An artificial cell, synthetic cell or minimal cell is an engineered particle that mimics one or many functions of a biological cell.Often, artificial cells are biological or polymeric membranes which enclose biologically active materials. [1]
An artificial membrane, or synthetic membrane, is a synthetically created membrane which is usually intended for separation purposes in laboratory or in industry. Synthetic membranes have been successfully used for small and large-scale industrial processes since the middle of the twentieth century. [ 1 ]
Unlike a vesicle or a cell membrane in which the lipid bilayer is rolled into an enclosed shell, a supported bilayer is a planar structure sitting on a solid support. Because of this, only the upper face of the bilayer is exposed to free solution. This layout has advantages and drawbacks related to the study of lipid bilayers.
Two experiments in 1925 laid the groundwork to fill in this gap. By measuring the capacitance of erythrocyte solutions, Hugo Fricke determined that the cell membrane was 3.3 nm thick. [111] Although the results of this experiment were accurate, Fricke misinterpreted the data to mean that the cell membrane is a single molecular layer. Prof. Dr.
Semipermeable membrane is a type of synthetic or biologic, polymeric membrane that allows certain molecules or ions to pass through it by osmosis. The rate of passage depends on the pressure , concentration , and temperature of the molecules or solutes on either side, as well as the permeability of the membrane to each solute.
Biological membranes include cell membranes (outer coverings of cells or organelles that allow passage of certain constituents); [2] nuclear membranes, which cover a cell nucleus; and tissue membranes, such as mucosae and serosae. Synthetic membranes are made by humans for use in laboratories and industry (such as chemical plants).
Another way to mimic the native lipid membrane are synthetic polymers. Styrene-maleic acid co-polymers (SMAs) [12] [13] called SMALPs or Lipodisq and Diisobutylene-maleic acid (DIBMA) [14] are such synthetic polymers (DIBMALPs). They can solubilize membrane proteins directly from cells or raw extract. They also have been used to study the lipid ...
Illustration of a eukaryotic cell membrane Comparison of a eukaryotic vs. a prokaryotic cell membrane. The cell membrane (also known as the plasma membrane or cytoplasmic membrane, and historically referred to as the plasmalemma) is a biological membrane that separates and protects the interior of a cell from the outside environment (the extracellular space).