Tuning membrane thickness fluctuations in model lipid bilayers.

ABSTRACT: Membrane thickness fluctuations have been associated with a variety of critical membrane phenomena, such as cellular exchange, pore formation, and protein binding, which are intimately related to cell functionality and effective pharmaceuticals. Therefore, understanding how these fluctuations are controlled can remarkably impact medical applications involving selective macromolecule binding and efficient cellular drug intake. Interestingly, previous reports on single-component bilayers show almost identical thickness fluctuation patterns for all investigated lipid tail-lengths, with similar temperature-independent membrane thickness fluctuation amplitude in the fluid phase and a rapid suppression of fluctuations upon transition to the gel phase. Presumably, in vivo functions require a tuna

SUBMITTER: Ashkar R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4571027 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature