Dissertation Research: Thermal Acclimation as a Tool for the Investigation of Membrane Raft Structure and Function

Arizona State University, Scottsdale AZ

Investigators

Abstract

Dissertation Research: Thermal Acclimation as a Tool for the Investigation of Membrane Raft Structure and Function Dr. Jeffrey R. Hazel & John Zehmer Cells are bounded by an outer envelope, the plasma membrane, made up of lipid and protein molecules. Evidence has accumulated in the last ten years that specific lipids and proteins are organized into clusters, called rafts, which help organize the molecular machinery of cellular communication. The cells of cold-blooded animals make substantial lipid compositional changes to the plasma membrane during acclimation to a new temperature. These changes allow the cells to continue to function properly despite the temperature change. An increase in temperature should overcome the forces holding rafts together. Therefore, some of the compositional changes made in response to a change in temperature probably serve to strengthen rafts. Examining this acclimation response in trout liver cells should help elucidate the means by which rafts are held together and how rafts assist in cellular communication. This research will determine 1) if the clustering of raft molecules is maintained during thermal acclimation, 2) what lipid compositional changes account for this maintenance, 3) if membrane viscosity, an important membrane property, is conserved in rafts during acclimation, and 4) if cellular communication is dependent on raft clustering.