1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910144746403321

Autore

Heimburg Thomas

Titolo

Thermal biophysics of membranes / / Thomas Heimburg

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Weinheim, : Wiley-VCH Verlag, c2007

ISBN

1-281-23919-4

9786611239190

3-527-61159-2

3-527-61160-6

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (381 p.)

Collana

Tutorials in biophysics

Disciplina

571.6/4

Soggetti

Membranes (Biology) - Thermal properties

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references (p. 339-351) and index.

Nota di contenuto

Membranes-an introduction -- Membrane structure -- The composition of biological membranes -- Introduction into thermodynamics -- Water -- Lipid melting -- Phase diagrams -- Statistical models for lipid melting -- Lipid-protein interactions -- Diffusion -- Electrostatics -- Adsorption, binding, and insertion of proteins -- Elasticity and curvature -- Thermodynamics of the elastic constants -- Structural transitions -- Relaxation processes in membranes -- Permeability -- Nerve pulse propagation -- Anesthesia.

Sommario/riassunto

An overview of recent experimental and theoretical developments in the field of the physics of membranes, including new insights from the past decade.The author uses classical thermal physics and physical chemistry to explain our current understanding of the membrane. He looks at domain and 'raft' formation, and discusses it in the context of thermal fluctuations that express themselves in heat capacity and elastic constants. Further topics are lipid-protein interactions, protein binding, and the effect of sterols and anesthetics. Many seemingly unrelated properties of membranes are shown