Nonadditive Compositional Curvature Energetics of Lipid Bilayers.

ABSTRACT: The unique properties of the individual lipids that compose biological membranes together determine the energetics of the surface. The energetics of the surface, in turn, govern the formation of membrane structures and membrane reshaping processes, and thus they will underlie cellular-scale models of viral fusion, vesicle-dependent transport, and lateral organization relevant to signaling. The spontaneous curvature, to the best of our knowledge, is always assumed to be additive. We describe observations from simulations of unexpected nonadditive compositional curvature energetics of two lipids essential to the plasma membrane: sphingomyelin and cholesterol. A model is developed that connects molecular interactions to curvature stress, and which explains the role of local composition. Chole

SUBMITTER: Sodt AJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5134905 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature