Concentration-driven growth of model protocell membranes.

ABSTRACT: The first protocell membranes may have assembled from fatty acids and related single-chain lipids available in the prebiotic environment. Prior to the evolution of complex cellular machinery, spontaneous protocell membrane growth and division had to result from the intrinsic physicochemical properties of these molecules, in the context of specific environmental conditions. Depending on the nature of the chemical and physical environment, fatty acids can partition between several different phases, including soluble monomers, micelles, and lamellar vesicles. Here we address the concentration dependence of fatty acid aggregation, which is dominated by entropic considerations. We quantitatively distinguish between fatty acid phases using a combination of physical and spectroscopic techniques,

SUBMITTER: Budin I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3530389 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature