The electrical interplay between proteins and lipids in membranes

The interactions between membrane lipids and membrane proteins together with their role within cell biology represent an enormous body of work. Broad conclusions are not easy given the complexities of the various systems and even consensus with model membrane systems containing two or three lipid types is difficult. By defining two types of broad lipid-protein interaction, respectively Type I as specific and Type II as more non-specific and focussing on the electrical interactions mostly in the extra-membrane regions it is possible to assemble broad rules or a consensus of the dominant features of the interplay between these two fundamentally important classes of membrane component. This article is part of a special issue entitled: Lipid-protein interactions.