Abstract:

That membranes actively participate in cellular function is well known; however, the details of how they participate are, in many instances, not well understood.  The cellular environment is in continual flux with molecules being created/imported and destroyed/exported.  As such, it is interesting to consider how varying concentrations of molecules/ions affect cell function.  In this talk we will show that ionic strength can be used to control both the organization and the three-dimensional shape of membranes.  In particular, it will be shown that flat anionic membranes can be induced to form buds by changing the ionic strength on one side of the membrane.  The implications this work has for understanding cellular processes will be discussed.