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1. Modeling the Membrane Environment for Membrane Proteins

   https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpj.2011.02.058  

   Separovic, Frances; Killian, J. Antoinette; Cotten, Myriam; Busath, David D.; Cross, Timothy A. (April 2011, Biophysical Journal)
2. Engineering Functional Membrane–Membrane Interfaces by InterSpy

   https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202202104  

   Moghimianavval, Hossein; Patel, Chintan; Mohapatra, Sonisilpa; Hwang, Sung‐Won; Kayikcioglu, Tunc; Bashirzadeh, Yashar; Liu, Allen P.; Ha, Taekjip (May 2022, Small)

   Abstract Engineering synthetic interfaces between membranes has potential applications in designing non‐native cellular communication pathways and creating synthetic tissues. Here, InterSpy is introduced as a synthetic biology tool consisting of a heterodimeric protein engineered to form and maintain membrane–membrane interfaces between apposing synthetic as well as cell membranes through the SpyTag/SpyCatcher interaction. The inclusion of split fluorescent protein fragments in InterSpy allows tracking of the formation of a membrane–membrane interface and reconstitution of functional fluorescent protein in the space between apposing membranes. First, InterSpy is demonstrated by testing split protein designs using a mammalian cell‐free expression (CFE) system. By utilizing co‐translational helix insertion, cell‐free synthesized InterSpy fragments are incorporated into the membrane of liposomes and supported lipid bilayers with the desired topology. Functional reconstitution of split fluorescent protein between the membranes is strictly dependent on SpyTag/SpyCatcher. Finally, InterSpy is demonstrated in mammalian cells by detecting fluorescence reconstitution of split protein at the membrane–membrane interface between two cells each expressing a component of InterSpy. InterSpy demonstrates the power of CFE systems in the functional reconstitution of synthetic membrane interfaces via proximity‐inducing proteins. This technology may also prove useful where cell‐cell contacts and communication are recreated in a controlled manner using minimal components. 

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3. Synthetic Cell as a Platform for Understanding Membrane-Membrane Interactions

   https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes11120912  

   Sharma, Bineet; Moghimianavval, Hossein; Hwang, Sung-Won; Liu, Allen P. (December 2021, Membranes)

   In the pursuit of understanding life, model membranes made of phospholipids were envisaged decades ago as a platform for the bottom-up study of biological processes. Micron-sized lipid vesicles have gained great acceptance as their bilayer membrane resembles the natural cell membrane. Important biological events involving membranes, such as membrane protein insertion, membrane fusion, and intercellular communication, will be highlighted in this review with recent research updates. We will first review different lipid bilayer platforms used for incorporation of integral membrane proteins and challenges associated with their functional reconstitution. We next discuss different methods for reconstitution of membrane fusion and compare their fusion efficiency. Lastly, we will highlight the importance and challenges of intercellular communication between synthetic cells and synthetic cells-to-natural cells. We will summarize the review by highlighting the challenges and opportunities associated with studying membrane–membrane interactions and possible future research directions. 

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4. Robust Superhydrophobic Membrane for Membrane Distillation with Excellent Scaling Resistance

   https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.9b04362  

   Su, Chunlei; Horseman, Thomas; Cao, Hongbin; Christie, Kofi; Li, Yuping; Lin, Shihong (September 2019, Environmental Science & Technology)
5. Model Membrane Systems Used to Study Plasma Membrane Lipid Asymmetry

   https://doi.org/10.3390/sym13081356  

   Scott, Haden L.; Kennison, Kristen B.; Enoki, Thais A.; Doktorova, Milka; Kinnun, Jacob J.; Heberle, Frederick A.; Katsaras, John (August 2021, Symmetry)

   null (Ed.)

   It is well known that the lipid distribution in the bilayer leaflets of mammalian plasma membranes (PMs) is not symmetric. Despite this, model membrane studies have largely relied on chemically symmetric model membranes for the study of lipid–lipid and lipid–protein interactions. This is primarily due to the difficulty in preparing stable, asymmetric model membranes that are amenable to biophysical studies. However, in the last 20 years, efforts have been made in producing more biologically faithful model membranes. Here, we review several recently developed experimental and computational techniques for the robust generation of asymmetric model membranes and highlight a new and particularly promising technique to study membrane asymmetry. 

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