In higher organisms, cells and organelles are surrounded by a membrane, which plays a crucial role in not just creating a barrier from the external environment but also mediating exchange of fluids, electrolytes, proteins, and other useful material. Usually, these membranes are composed of water-repelling layers formed by lipid molecules, with various ‘transmembrane’ proteins embedded in this double-layered sheet. These proteins are assembled in a way such that they create unique ‘gates’ or ‘channels’ that open and close in response to selective molecules or ions under specific conditions. These properties of selectivity and sensing capacity of a biological membrane come from its sophisticated structure, and together they make these membranes an attractive model for the synthesis of novel materials used to develop advanced sensing and separation devices. However, artificially developing such molecular assemblies—that can assemble itself in a membrane in a functionally active orientation—has remained challenging until now.
Click here for original story, Scientists synthesize novel artificial molecules that mimic a cell membrane protein
Source: Phys.org