non suit The name of a judgment given against a plaintiff, when be is unable to prove his case, or when he refuses or neglects to proceed to the trial of a cause after it has been put at issue, without determining such issue.
Peripheral membrane proteins are proteins that adhere only temporarily to the biological membrane with which they are associated. These molecules attach to integral membrane proteins, or penetrate the peripheral regions of the lipid bilayer. The regulatory protein subunits of many ion channels and transmembrane receptors, for example, may be defined as peripheral membrane proteins.
Cell membranes are composed of a bimolecular layer of phospholipids and cholesterol, with hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions. Peripheral proteins move along the surfaces and integral proteins are embedded in the lipid bilayer. Some integral proteins extend through both layers (transmembrane proteins). Many of these are glycoproteins with surface carbohydrate units. The cell membrane is the site of the sodium ion pump which maintains cell volume by pumping sodium out of the cell. The outer plasma membrane is permeable to ions, but not to larger molecules. It is also the site for hormone-receptor and cell signal interaction.