Lipids support protein machinery

In the membranes of mitochondria, the power stations of the cell, are many different embedded proteins. These proteins perform key functions for the mitochondria. A team led by the biochemist Dr. Thomas Becker from the University of Freiburg discovered that lipids – the fatlike substances that form the basic building blocks of biological membranes – help a protein machinery to integrate proteins into the outer membrane of mitochondria. The researchers published their findings in the