Analyses of the interaction between glycolipids and membrane receptor by novel optics technology

脂双层是细胞膜的基本结构成分。最新的研究表明，各种脂质分子并不是无序分布的，我们已经将其识别为“脂质微域”。脂质微区是在结合或解离过程中不断变化的动态结构。研究表明，这些富含胆固醇和鞘脂的微区可能在许多细胞过程中发挥重要作用，包括信号转导、膜转运、细胞骨架组织和病原体进入。在我的实验室里，我们研究了脂质微域组成变化对膜受体定位和信号转导的影响机制。通过荧光相关光谱(FCS)和光漂白后荧光恢复(FRAP)等新的光学技术，我们试图对这种相互作用进行量化，并阐明脂质微域的规律。

Lipid bilayer is an elemental structural component of the cell membrane. Latest researches show that various lipid molecules are not distributed disorderly and we have recognized it as "lipid microdomain". Lipid microdomains are dynamic structures constantly in the process of either association or dissociation . It has been suggested that these microdomains enriched in cholesterol and sphingolipids could play an important rule in many cellular processes including signal transduction, membrane trafficking , cytoskeletal organization, and pathogen entry. In my laboratory, we study about the mechanism which composition change of lipid microdomain influence localization and signaling of membrane receptors. By novel optics technology such as fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) and fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP), we are trying to quantify this interaction and elucidate the rule of lipid microdomain.