Abstract
One of the important roles of plasma membranes is a site of molecular recognitions accepting external informations and transducing particular signals. Recent works show that lipids as well as proteins are involved in molecular recognition and may function such as receptors. In this review, we present several examples and studies about the roles of lipids in molecular recognition. First, we described the specific roles of phospholipids such as recognition sites for antibiotics and perforin. Next, we referred the roles of glycolipids in molecular recognition and in cell-cell communication. For example, component of glycolipids are changed during cell growth, development and differentiation. On the contrary, cells cultivated in the presence of particular ganglioside were differentiated. The molecules which recognize determinant sugar structure on cell surface have not been identified. Recently, it is reported that cell surface sugar chains containing Lex structure have affinity for another Lex of other cells, suggesting that intercellular recognition is performed between sugar structures. Last part, we mentioned about the recognition of various unspecified chemical substances by chemosensory cells, taste cells and olfactory cells. At least, some bitter substances and odors could interact with liposomes without membrane proteins, suggesting that lipid bilayer is responsible for the first recognition site for such substances.
