SPECTROSCOPIC DETERMINATION OF LIPID DYNAMICS IN MEMBRANES

Membranes are highly mobile entities, and motional characteristics on the intramolecular, molecular or supra-molecular length scale can be inferred either directly or indirectly from a variety of spectroscopic techniques. It is, however, of the utmost importance to understand the intrinsic time and distance scales to which the particular measurement technique is sensitive. In this article we briefly survey selected findings from various spectroscopic, diffraction and scattering experiments which contribute to the current knowledge of membrane lipid dynamics. We then explore in more detail some insights into lipid dynamics obtained from NMR spectroscopy and relaxation time determinations.