Abstract
The cell membrane is based on structure of lipid bilayer, and is constituted with hundreds kinds of phospholipid molecules. As the most famous model of the cell membrane structure, “the fluid mosaic model” has been the most generally accepted model to date. In this model, phospholipids and component molecules diffuse freely within membrane surfaces. Recently it has been suggested that there is a phase–separated domain structure called “Raft” in membrane1). Rafts contain high concentration of sphingolipids and cholesterol. Rafts concentrate receptor proteins and their dynamics are related to cell signaling. But mechanism of raft dynamics in intracellular signaling is still unknown. We are investigating the mechanism of raft dynamics and its role in cell signal transduction. Here in this review, we would like to introduce our recent research results using both living cells and cell–sized liposomes.
