Plant Membranes

A biophysical approach to structure, development and senescence

  • Ya’Acov Y. Leshem

Table of contents

  1. Front Matter
    Pages i-xiii
  2. Introduction

    1. Ya’Acov Y. Leshem
      Pages 1-8
  3. The building blocks of the membrane

    1. Front Matter
      Pages 9-9
    2. Ya’Acov Y. Leshem
      Pages 11-26
    3. Ya’Acov Y. Leshem
      Pages 27-56
    4. Ya’Acov Y. Leshem
      Pages 57-64
    5. Ya’Acov Y. Leshem
      Pages 65-102
    6. Ya’Acov Y. Leshem
      Pages 103-110
  4. Biophysical aspects of membrane structure and function

    1. Front Matter
      Pages 111-111
  5. The membrane in action

    1. Front Matter
      Pages 155-155
    2. Ya’Acov Y. Leshem
      Pages 157-173
    3. Ya’Acov Y. Leshem
      Pages 174-191
    4. C. M. Willmer, O. Pantoja
      Pages 220-238
    5. Ya’Acov Y. Leshem
      Pages 255-256
  6. Back Matter
    Pages 257-266

About this book


The plasma membrane is at once the window through which the cell senses the environment and the portal through which the environment influences the structure and activities of the cell. Its importance in cellular physiology can thus hardly be overestimated, since constant flow of materials between cell and environment is essential to the well-being of any biological system. The nature of the materials mov­ ing into the cell is also critical, since some substances are required for maintenance and growth, while others, because of their toxicity, must either be rigorously excluded or permitted to enter only after chemical alteration. Such alteration frequently permits the compounds to be sequestered in special cellular compartments having different types of membranes. This type of homogeneity, plus the fact that the wear and tear of transmembrane molecular traffic compels the system to be constantly monitored and repaired, means that the membrane system of any organism must be both structurally complex and dy­ namic. Membranes have been traditionally difficult to study because of their fragility and small diameter. In the last several decades, however, remarkable advances have been made because of techniques permit­ ting the bulk isolation of membranes from homogenized cells. From such isolated membranes have come detailed physical and chemical analyses that have given us a detailed working model of membrane. We now can make intelligent guesses about the structural and func­ tional interactions of membrane lipids, phospholipids, proteins, sterols and water.


Calcium Glycerolipid Protein biophysics enzymes physical concepts proteins

Authors and affiliations

  • Ya’Acov Y. Leshem
    • 1
  1. 1.Department of Life SciencesBar Ilan UniversityRamat GanIsrael

Bibliographic information

  • DOI
  • Copyright Information Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 1992
  • Publisher Name Springer, Dordrecht
  • eBook Packages Springer Book Archive
  • Print ISBN 978-90-481-4096-1
  • Online ISBN 978-94-017-2683-2
  • About this book