Membranes disperse almost instantaneously if exposed to a nonpolar environment o
ID: 36286 • Letter: M
Question
Membranes disperse almost instantaneously if exposed to a nonpolar environment or to detergents, which are amphipathic molecules that can form a hydrophilic coat around the hydrophobic portions of membrane lipids and proteins in water solutions.
This might be a stupid question but... if detergents can 'form coats around hydrophobic portions' of membrane-suspended molecules, they must, somehow get in the hydrophobic membrane interior... right?
How do they get in the membrane interior? Do they form clusters like endocytic vesicles? What happens after they form hydrophilic coats around hydrophobic molecule regions?
Explanation / Answer
It depends on the concentration, but at higher concentration the detergent molecules build so called micelles, where the hydrophobic "tail" is orientation into the inner part and the hydrophilic "head" is orientated to the outside. This allows the micelle also to fuse with the membrane and then to desintegrate it.