Review of how lipids in cell membranes directly control activity of important cell surface proteins

What is it about?

Cell proteins are typically thought to be controlled by interactions with other proteins, ions or small molecules. This article reviews how proteins on the cell surface are actually controlled by an important subset of the very lipid molecules which comprise the plasma membrane itself. Direct interaction of these lipids (phosphoinositides) with membrane proteins helps to control the activity of these critical proteins. Special attention is given to the family of proteins known as ion channels which are the best studied examples of this type of regulation and are the proteins which give rise to cell excitability and control not only the action potentials found in neurons and cardiac tissue but also control skeletal and smooth muscle contraction, epithelial transport of nutrients and ions, T-cell activation and endocrine cell hormone release.

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Why is it important?

Explains an emerging mode of regulation of cell surface protein activity via direct protein-lipid interactions