Digitonin and its activity
Hzhen at freeuk.com
Fri Apr 5 15:37:02 EST 2002
Jayakumar R wrote:
> So what about mitochondrial membranes?
Why would the mitochondrial membranes behave differently? I might be
wrong of course, but it seems obvious to me everything would depends on
the amount of digitonin used and the amount of cholesterol on the
membranes (therefore how many and how easily pores are formed). I know
next to nothing about the structure of mitochondrial membranes, whether
it has regions with rafts of cholesterol-rich microdomains or such-like,
therefore can't guess how the membranes will hold its shape, but it
seems like a simple experiment to me to just vary the concentration of
digitonin and see what happens. You will reach a point where the amount
of digitonin will completely destroy the membrane.
(Simple I said, but must add that the memory of my undergraduate project
is still painful, the reason why I decided to pursue a branch of science
that has nothing to do with creatures with four legs and a tail).
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