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lipid-molecules
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Diffusion of Lipid and Protein Molecules in Cell Membranes
, Ph.D. Dissertation Sharif University of Technology ; Jalali, Abbas (Supervisor)
Abstract
Lipid membranes are fundamental constituents of cell membranes and are now used in lap-on-a-chip technology. Membranes in living cells contain a significant fraction of proteins, which undergo lateral random movements due to thermal fluctuations and shear forces imposed by the solvent fluid. Prominent natural and biotechnological systems where membranes are highly sheared include the plasma membrane of endothelial cells, and membranes used in biosensors for high throughput screening of drug candidates, and in water purification devices. In these systems membrane is in direct contact with the mainstream suspension flow, which is driven by pressure gradients. The efficiency and function of...
Vesicle deformations by clusters of transmembrane proteins
, Article Journal of Chemical Physics ; Volume 134, Issue 8 , 2011 ; 00219606 (ISSN) ; Jalali, M. A ; Sharif University of Technology
2011
Abstract
We carry out a coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulation of phospholipid vesicles with transmembrane proteins. We measure the mean and Gaussian curvatures of our protein-embedded vesicles and quantitatively show how protein clusters change the shapes of their host vesicles. The effects of depletion force and vesiculation on protein clustering are also investigated. By increasing the protein concentration, clusters are fragmented to smaller bundles, which are then redistributed to form more symmetric structures corresponding to lower bending energies. Big clusters and highly aspherical vesicles cannot be formed when the fraction of protein to lipid molecules is large