Mesoscale organization of domains in the plasma membrane – beyond the lipid raft

Abstract

The plasma membrane is compartmentalized into several distinct regions or domains, which show a broad diversity in both size and lifetime. The segregation of lipids and membrane proteins is thought to be driven by the lipid composition itself, lipid–protein interactions and diffusional barriers. With regards to the lipid composition, the immiscibility of certain classes of lipids underlies the “lipid raft” concept of plasmalemmal compartmentalization. Historically, lipid rafts have been described as cholesterol and (glyco)sphingolipid-rich regions of the plasma membrane that exist as a liquid-ordered phase that are resistant to extraction with non-ionic detergents. Over the years the interest in lipid rafts grew as did the challenges with studying these nanodomains. The term lipid raft has fallen out of favor with many scientists and instead the terms “membrane raft” or “membrane nanodomain” are preferred as they connote the heterogeneity and dynamic nature of the lipid-protein assemblies. In this article, we will discuss the classical lipid raft hypothesis and its limitations. This review will also discuss alternative models of lipid-protein interactions, annular lipid shells, and larger membrane clusters. We will also discuss the mesoscale organization of plasmalemmal domains including visible structures such as clathrin-coated pits and caveolae.

Keywords:

• Cholesterol
• rafts
• nanodomains
• caveolae
• Ras
• endocytosis
• signaling

Disclosure statement

The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Additional information

Funding

This work in the lab is supported in part by Operating [Grant MOP-133656] from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and a Discovery Grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada (NSERC) to GDF. GDF is also the recipient of a New Investigator Award from CIHR and an Early Researcher Award from the Government of Ontario. SML is supported in part by scholarships from NSERC and a Government of Ontario Graduate Scholarship.