Join us in London in May 2025 for this edition of the Faraday Discussion series. The Faraday Discussions are unique international discussion meetings that address current and emerging topics at the forefront of the physical sciences.
This meeting is for established and early-career scientists, postgraduate students and industrial researchers working on various aspects of plasma membranes. It will provide an ideal forum for cross-fertilisation of ideas and understanding between the distinct but adjacent communities working in this exciting field. On behalf of the organising committee, we look forward to welcoming you to London, or if you are joining us virtually, online.
The Discussion will focus on the following four themes.
Plasma membrane asymmetry and lipid homeostasis
The omics era has provided much data on phospholipids, sphingolipids, sterols and proteins located in different membranes, although information on their functional relevance remains limited. This session will address challenges such as measuring trans-leaflet lipid distribution, including the spatiotemporal relation to overall lipid composition, and dissecting secondary lipid messengers from lipid ‘players’ with respect to bulk membrane properties.
Engineering plasma membrane mimics
Quantification of physicochemical properties of realistic plasma membrane mimics hinges on the controlled production of asymmetric bilayers in the presence and absence of integral or peripheral membrane proteins. This session will discuss recently developed asymmetric membrane procedures and how these might be improved.
Structure and dynamics of asymmetric membranes
In this session we will seek to obtain physicochemical insights from lipid-only plasma membrane mimics. The session will include minimum realistic mimics of mammalian or bacterial plasma membranes, as well as the role of cholesterol in tuning and maintaining membrane asymmetry.
Proteins in asymmetric membranes
This session will focus on integral proteins functionally reconstituted into asymmetric membranes. Topics will include folding and reconstitution of proteins in asymmetric lipid membranes, control of protein directionality, and stability of lipid asymmetry in the presence of integral proteins.
This meeting is for established and early-career scientists, postgraduate students and industrial researchers working on various aspects of plasma membranes. It will provide an ideal forum for cross-fertilisation of ideas and understanding between the distinct but adjacent communities working in this exciting field. On behalf of the organising committee, we look forward to welcoming you to London, or if you are joining us virtually, online.
Format
Faraday Discussions have a special format where primary research papers written by the speakers are distributed to all participants before the meeting, and most of the meeting is devoted to discussing the papers. All delegates at the meeting, not just speakers, have the opportunity to make comments, ask questions, or present complementary or contradictory measurements and calculations during the discussion sessions. In addition, there is a dedicated poster session where further discussion takes place. The research papers and a record of the discussion are published in the journal Faraday Discussions.Themes
Recent developments in experimental and computational chemistry, physics and life sciences have enabled a greater quantitative understanding of lipid asymmetry and its coupling to protein function. This Discussion will explore the various facets of membrane asymmetry, bringing together experts in membrane physical chemistry, membrane biophysics, and membrane physiology.The Discussion will focus on the following four themes.
Plasma membrane asymmetry and lipid homeostasis
The omics era has provided much data on phospholipids, sphingolipids, sterols and proteins located in different membranes, although information on their functional relevance remains limited. This session will address challenges such as measuring trans-leaflet lipid distribution, including the spatiotemporal relation to overall lipid composition, and dissecting secondary lipid messengers from lipid ‘players’ with respect to bulk membrane properties.
Engineering plasma membrane mimics
Quantification of physicochemical properties of realistic plasma membrane mimics hinges on the controlled production of asymmetric bilayers in the presence and absence of integral or peripheral membrane proteins. This session will discuss recently developed asymmetric membrane procedures and how these might be improved.
Structure and dynamics of asymmetric membranes
In this session we will seek to obtain physicochemical insights from lipid-only plasma membrane mimics. The session will include minimum realistic mimics of mammalian or bacterial plasma membranes, as well as the role of cholesterol in tuning and maintaining membrane asymmetry.
Proteins in asymmetric membranes
This session will focus on integral proteins functionally reconstituted into asymmetric membranes. Topics will include folding and reconstitution of proteins in asymmetric lipid membranes, control of protein directionality, and stability of lipid asymmetry in the presence of integral proteins.
