Modeling membrane deformations and lipid demixing upon protein-membrane interaction: the BAR dimer adsorption.

ABSTRACT: We use a self-consistent mean-field theory, designed to investigate membrane reshaping and lipid demixing upon interaction with proteins, to explore BAR domains interacting with large patches of lipid membranes of heterogeneous compositions. The computational model includes contributions to the system free energy from electrostatic interactions and elastic energies of the membrane, as well as salt and lipid mixing entropies. The results from our simulation of a single adsorbing Amphiphysin BAR dimer indicate that it is capable of stabilizing a significantly curved membrane. However, we predict that such deformations will occur only for membrane patches that have the inherent propensity for high curvature, reflected in the tendency to create local distortions that closely match the curvatur

SUBMITTER: Khelashvili G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2749777 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature