New insights into membrane dynamics from the analysis of cell surface interactions by physical methods.

The physical, chemical and mechanical properties of the cell surface can be probed using a variety of microscopy-based techniques. The movements of membrane components are currently being characterized, and recent experiments have begun to define the structural origins of these modes of transport at a molecular level. However, explicit relationships between new knowledge of membrane structure and complex, linked functions, such as signal transduction and adhesion, remain elusive.