Regensburg 2007 – scientific programme

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 3: Membranes and Interfaces

BP 3.8: Talk

Monday, March 26, 2007, 16:00–16:15, H43

Curvature-mediated interactions between membrane proteins lead to aggregation and vesiculation — Benedict Reynolds, Gregoria Illya, Vagelis Harmandaris, Martin Müller, Kurt Kremer, and •Markus Deserno — MPI für Polymerforschung, Mainz, Germany

Cellular tasks such as endocytosis, vesiculation, and protein sorting, or the biogenesis of organelles such as the endoplasmic reticulum or the Golgi apparatus rely on significant protein-assisted membrane remodeling. Special curvature-sensitive proteins may both experience geometry-driven forces and, conversely, induce major changes in membrane shape and topology. But due to the lipid bilayer’s bending stiffness, the latter requires the cooperative action of many individual proteins. The necessary protein aggregation is thought to be driven by specific interactions, but more generic mechanisms such as membrane mediated interactions are recently being discussed by biologists. I will show that the underlying physics of curvature forces is not as straightforward as it is sometimes assumed. Using large-scale coarse-grained membrane simulations I then demonstrate that even in the absence of direct protein interactions curvature-mediated forces alone provide a robust mechanism for aggregation and can subsequently trigger vesiculation.