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Visualising the membrane viscosity of porcine eye lens cells using molecular rotors.

ABSTRACT: The plasma membranes of cells within the eye lens play an important role in metabolite transport within the avascular tissue of the lens, maintaining its transparency over the entire lifespan of an individual. Here we use viscosity-sensitive 'molecular rotors' to map the microscopic viscosity within these unusual cell membranes, establishing that they are characterised by an unprecedentedly high degree of lipid organisation.

SUBMITTER: Sherin PS

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5435988 | biostudies-literature | 2017 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Visualising the membrane viscosity of porcine eye lens cells using molecular rotors.

Sherin Peter S PS López-Duarte Ismael I Dent Michael R MR Kubánková Markéta M Vyšniauskas Aurimas A Bull James A JA Reshetnikova Evdokiya S ES Klymchenko Andrey S AS Tsentalovich Yuri P YP Kuimova Marina K MK

Chemical science 20170214 5

The plasma membranes of cells within the eye lens play an important role in metabolite transport within the avascular tissue of the lens, maintaining its transparency over the entire lifespan of an individual. Here we use viscosity-sensitive 'molecular rotors' to map the microscopic viscosity within these unusual cell membranes, establishing that they are characterised by an unprecedentedly high degree of lipid organisation. ...[more]

PMID: 28580097

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