ABSTRACT
Lipids are the primary components of biological membranes. Arranged in bilayers, they not only provide a means for cellular compartmentalization but are also crucial for the function of many proteins embedded within them. For instance, the mitochondrial ADP/ATP carrier, which imports ADP into the mitochondria and exports synthesized ATP, requires the presence of the −2 charged cardiolipins for its proper function [1]. Rhodopsin, a G-proteincoupled receptor, can only function in a membrane with the correct balance of pressures in the headgroup and tail region [2]. Given the close interaction of lipids and membrane proteins, the study of bilayers not only is important to our understanding of their own properties but also provides the basis for investigating the function of many membrane proteins.
