Membrane lipid, not polarized water, is responsible for the semipermeable properties of living cells

Abstract

It has recently been proposed that the semipermeable surface barrier of living cells is in fact provided by water polarized in multilayers by the cellular protein, and not by the lipids of the cell membrane as had been widely supposed. This review paper summarizes a large and diverse body of recent experimental work, concerned with the structure and function of biological membranes in general and with the passive permeability properties of cell surface membranes in particular, which does not support the polarized water hypothesis. Indeed, there exists a great deal of experimental evidence which supports the concept that the lipid bilayer is a central structural feature of cell surface membranes and that one of the major functions of this lipid bilayer is to provide the selective, semipermeable barrier found at the surface of living cells.

Transport methods for probing the barrier domain of lipid bilayer membranes

“…The working equations relating the complex capacitance CM, Cm = C' -ic, (1) of the membrane system to the experimentally (Am, 4m) are (cf Appendix) observable data CI = C Am cos (km -_ ) (2) and C" = C0 A sin (Om -o0),…”

Binding of glycoglycerolipid derived from membranes of Acholeplasma laidlawii PG8 and synthetic analogues to lymphoid cells

“…However, their function in the membranes of prokaryotic cells is not clear. Several investigators have reported that glycolipids in the membranes of A. laidlawii are mono-and di-glycosyldiacylglycerol (Bhakoo et al, 1987 ;Dahlqvist et al, 1995 ;Gross & Rottem, 1979 ;Shaw 1968) and that they might play an important role in physiological functions such as membrane viscosity (De Kruyft et al, 1973 ;McElhaney et al, 1970 ;McElhaney, 1975 ;Rottem et al, 1973). Several reports suggest that the fusion of mycoplasmas with eukaryotic cells may result in the delivery of mycoplasma components into the host cells (Toole & Lowdell, 1990 ;Franzoso et al, 1992).…”

Electrical conductance characteristics of some human erythrocyte membranes

“…Ling (1973) holds the view that the water polarized in the multilayers by the cellular proteins and not the membrane lipid provides the living cells with their semipermeable surface barrier. On the other hand, McElhaney (1975) holds the view that the membrane lipid and not the polarized water is responsible for the semipermeable properties of living cells. The present investigation on electrical conductance of lipid membranes with and without proteins is of relevance in the context of this controversy.…”