PEPTIDES IN LIPID BILAYERS - STRUCTURAL AND THERMODYNAMIC BASIS FOR PARTITIONING AND FOLDING

The lipid bilayer is commonly, but incorrectly, viewed as a slab of bulk hydrocarbon liquid bounded by thin polar regions. Recent experimental and theoretical advances reveal the true complexities of the bilayer and its interactions with peptides. These are reviewed in the context of five fundamental questions that must be addressed in order to arrive at a structural and thermodynamic framework that is useful for studies of a broad array of biological processes.