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Ultraviolet Absorption, Circular Dichroism, and Optical Rotatory Dispersion in Biomembrane Studies

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Membrane Physiology

Abstract

The fundamental concerns in applying optical methods to the study of biomembranes arise from complications introduced by their particulate nature; the basic objective is not solely to describe the actual absorbance by separating it from the effects of light scattering in the heterogeneous system. Moreover, the objective is to correct the spectrum to the absorbance, or difference absorbance, values that would occur if the molecules were uniformly distributed while retaining their membrane conformational state. This, of course, is because the reference state, for which there is much information, is one in which the polypeptide or protein species of interest is molecularly dispersed in solution. In order to proceed in a more sure-footed manner, a brief review of the fundamentals of absorption and the factors that alter absorption inten-sity and spectral position is warranted. Achieving a satisfactory perspective of the fundamentals allows for a more confident approach to the unique problems of membrane systems.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, and the Cardiovascular Research and Training Center, University of Alabama Medical Center, Birmingham, Alabama, 35294, USA

    Dan W. Urry & Marianna M. Long

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  1. Dan W. Urry
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  2. Marianna M. Long
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Medical School at Houston, 77025, Houston, TX, USA

    Thomas E. Andreoli M.D. (Professor and Chairman) (Professor and Chairman)

  2. Department of Physiology, Yale University School of Medicine, 06510, New Haven, CT, USA

    Joseph F. Hoffman Ph.D. (Eugene Higgins Professor and Chairman) (Eugene Higgins Professor and Chairman)

  3. Division of Nephrology, University of California, San Diego, 92037, La Jolla, CA, USA

    Darrell D. Fanestil M.D. (Professor of Medicine, and Head) (Professor of Medicine, and Head)

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Urry, D.W., Long, M.M. (1980). Ultraviolet Absorption, Circular Dichroism, and Optical Rotatory Dispersion in Biomembrane Studies. In: Andreoli, T.E., Hoffman, J.F., Fanestil, D.D. (eds) Membrane Physiology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-1718-1_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-1718-1_6

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  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4757-1718-1

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