ABSTRACT
Inspired by the uid mosaic cell membrane model of Singer and Nicolson,1 cell biologists have extensively investigated the biochemical and biophysical properties of the plasma membrane in the last decades. The identication of separate compartments in the cell membrane that are enriched in specic proteins and lipids has been a major advance in membrane science.2,3 This principle, referred to as membrane
4.1 Introduction-The Principle of Membrane Compartmentalization ............... 59 4.2 Tetraspanin-Enriched Microdomains .............................................................60 4.3 The Unifying Concept of Tetraspanins .......................................................... 63 4.4 Tetraspanin Function in Membrane Biology .................................................. 63
4.4.1 Complex Assembly ............................................................................. 63 4.4.1.1 Complex Assembly of Integrins and Immune Receptors ....64 4.4.1.2 Complex Assembly in Tumor Cells .....................................64 4.4.1.3 Complex Assembly of Membrane Enzymes ........................65
