The plasma membrane as an adaptable fluid mosaic.

The fluid mosaic model proposed by Singer and Nicolson established a powerful framework to interrogate biological membranes that has stood the test of time. They proposed that the membrane is a simple fluid, meaning that proteins and lipids are randomly distributed over distances larger than those dictated by direct interactions. Here we present an update to this model that describes a spatially adaptable fluid membrane capable of tuning local composition in response to forces originating outside the membrane plane.