Heberle Lab

Advanced Membrane Biophysics Group

The plasma membrane that surrounds a living cell is truly a marvel of evolutionary nanoengineering. The demands placed on this outermost membrane are, in a sense, contradictory: it must be sturdy enough to provide protection against an often harsh external environment, yet malleable enough to allow for cell growth, division, and motility, and the passage of water and nutrients. Nature’s recipe for solving this unique challenge? Combine fat, protein, and a pinch of sugar, then let the system self-organize! The result is a remarkable organelle that is optimized for its dual roles as a cellular barrier and gateway.

Although the basic architecture of the plasma membrane has been known for nearly fifty years, there is an emerging consensus that some critical processes occurring at and within the membrane cannot be adequately explained by a simple, uniform bilayer model. We use cutting-edge biophysical methods to study the architecture of lipid membranes.

We combine expertise in biophysical, biochemical, and computational methods to answer fundamental questions about membrane structure and organization. Our model systems span a vast range of complexity — from simple liposomes made from a single lipid, to multicomponent vesicles with engineered lipid asymmetry, to the plasma membrane of a living cell. Techniques include calorimetry, fluorescence spectroscopy, cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM), and small-angle neutron and X-ray scattering (SANS/SAXS).