Membrankompartmen

Membrankompartmen is a term used to describe a compartment bounded by a membrane that isolates a set of chemical processes from the surrounding environment. Such compartments can exist in living cells as organelles or be engineered in laboratory systems. They serve to regulate composition, pH, ion concentrations, and metabolic flux, and they enable selective transport of substances across the boundary.

In biology, natural membrankompartmen include the nucleus, mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, lysosomes, peroxisomes, vacuoles, and plastids. These compartments are enclosed by lipid bilayers and contain a subset of enzymes and substrates. The membranes host transport proteins, such as channels, carriers, and pumps, and they establish electrochemical gradients essential for energy production and signaling.

In synthetic contexts, membrankompartmen are created in liposome or polymer vesicle systems, micelles, or supported lipid bilayers. They are used as microreactors, models of cellular metabolism, and for targeted drug delivery. By confining reactions, researchers can study kinetics, stabilize intermediates, or control access to substrates.

Terminology varies by language; in English the term membrane-bound compartment or organelle is more common, while membrankompartmen appears in some Scandinavian or Germanic-language sources as a direct translation. The concept underscores the central role of membranes in spatial organization of biology and technology.