NEW INSIGHTS INTO MEMBRANE DYNAMICS FROM THE ANALYSIS OF CELL-SURFACEINTERACTIONS BY PHYSICAL METHODS

The physical, chemical and mechanical properties of the cell surface c an be probed using a variety of microscopy-based techniques. The movem ents of membrane components are currently being characterized, and rec ent experiments have begun to define the structural origins of these m odes of transport at a molecular level. However, explicit relationship s between new knowledge of membrane structure and complex, linked func tions, such as signal transduction and adhesion, remain elusive.