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X-ray diffraction and electron microscope studies of the molecular structure of biological membranes

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Part of the book series: Topics in Molecular and Structural Biology ((TMSB))

Abstract

Biological membranes are thin, sheet-like structures composed of a well-defined but usually heterogeneous mixture of proteins, lipids and carbohydrates. Studies aimed at understanding the structural basis of membrane function focus on obtaining images of each membrane component at the highest possible resolution and on determining the spatial relationships among the components in the intact membrane. Detailed structural studies usually require chemically homogeneous specimens which exhibit a high degree of spatial order. For this reason, most membranes in their native state are not satisfactory subjects for high resolution structural studies.

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© 1983 The Contributors

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Makowski, L., Li, J. (1983). X-ray diffraction and electron microscope studies of the molecular structure of biological membranes. In: Chapman, D. (eds) Biomembrane Structure and Function. Topics in Molecular and Structural Biology. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-06065-8_2

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