# Membrane biology

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Study of the characteristics of membranes

**Membrane biology** is the study of the [biological](/source/Biology) and [physiochemical](/source/Biochemistry) characteristics of [membranes](/source/Biological_membrane), with applications in the study of cellular physiology.[1]

Membrane bioelectrical impulses are described by the [Hodgkin cycle](/source/Hodgkin_cycle).

## Biophysics

Membrane [biophysics](/source/Biophysics) is the study of [biological membrane](/source/Biological_membrane) structure and function using [physical](/source/Physics), [computational](/source/Computation), [mathematical](/source/Mathematics), and [biophysical methods](/source/Biophysical_techniques). A combination of these methods can be used to create [phase diagrams](/source/Phase_diagrams) of different types of membranes, which yields information on [thermodynamic](/source/Thermodynamic) behavior of a membrane and its components. As opposed to membrane biology, membrane biophysics focuses on quantitative information and modeling of various membrane phenomena, such as [lipid raft](/source/Lipid_raft) formation, rates of lipid and cholesterol flip-flop, protein-lipid coupling, and the effect of bending and elasticity functions of membranes on inter-cell connections.[2]

## See also

- [Amphiphile](/source/Amphiphile)

- [Biological membrane](/source/Biological_membrane)

- [Collodion bag](/source/Collodion_bag)

- [Lipid](/source/Lipid)

- [Lipid polymorphism](/source/Lipid_polymorphism)

- [Lipid rafts](/source/Lipid_rafts)

- [Membrane potential](/source/Membrane_potential)

- [Protein–lipid interaction](/source/Protein%E2%80%93lipid_interaction)

- [Trigger zone](/source/Trigger_zone)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Nath, Deepa (2005). ["Membrane biology"](https://doi.org/10.1038%2F438577a). *Nature*. **538** (7068): 577. [Bibcode](/source/Bibcode_(identifier)):[2005Natur.438..577N](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2005Natur.438..577N). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1038/438577a](https://doi.org/10.1038%2F438577a).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Zimmerberg, Joshua (2006). ["Membrane biophysics"](https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.cub.2006.03.050). *Current Biology*. **16** (8): R272–R276. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1016/j.cub.2006.03.050](https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.cub.2006.03.050). [PMID](/source/PMID_(identifier)) [16631568](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16631568).

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