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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2019 Mar 19.
Published in final edited form as: Bioessays. 2015 Dec 15;38(2):129–139. doi: 10.1002/bies.201500150

Figure 1. Possible mechanisms for generating protein and lipid heterogeneity in the plasma membrane.

Figure 1

(1) Specific binding of lipids to recognition motifs in membrane proteins. (2) Transmembrane proteins surrounded by a shell of annular lipids. (3) Protein-protein interactions. (4) Charge-mediated sequestration of proteins and lipids. (5) Membrane bending induced by protein crowding. (6) Recruitment of specific lipids and proteins to endo- or exocytosis sites. (7) Protein and lipid diffusion confined by the cortical actin skeleton. (8) Hydrophobic mismatch between protein transmembrane domains and the hydrophobic core of the lipid bilayer. (9) Protein interactions and lipid transfer at contact sites between the ER and the plasma membrane.