Viscous control of cellular respiration by membrane lipid composition
Lipid composition determines the physical properties of biological membranes and can vary substantially between and within organisms. We describe a specific role for the viscosity of energy-transducing membranes in cellular respiration. Engineering of fatty acid biosynthesis in Escherichia coli allowed us to titrate inner membrane viscosity across a 10-fold range by controlling the abundance of unsaturated or branched lipids.
These fluidizing lipids tightly controlled respiratory metabolism, an effect that can be explained with a quantitative model of the Electron Transport Chain (ETC) that features diffusion-coupled reactions between enzymes and electron carriers (quinones). Lipid…
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Pavlos Papadopoulos
Pavlos Papadopoulos is a Senior Field Engineer and long-time technology enthusiast based in Thessaloniki, Greece. With over a decade of hands-on experience working with hardware, software, mobile devices, and real-world IT systems, he brings a practical, engineer-level perspective to every article he writes.A passionate smartphone user—especially within the Xiaomi ecosystem—Pavlos explores how apps, tools, and everyday technologies perform in real use. His interests span programming, web development, DIY tech projects, digital workflows, and productivity tools.He is also the founder and editor of three technology websites: Gadget Rumours, TheLatestTechNews, and TechnologyNews.info, where he has written and curated more than a thousand articles covering software, mobile tech, hardware, and emerging digital trends.Pavlos is committed to clear explanations, helpful guides, and honest, experience-based insights that help readers make better decisions about the technology they use every day.
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