Berlin 2018 – wissenschaftliches Programm

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 16: Membranes and Vesicles I (joint session BP/CPP)

BP 16.10: Vortrag

Mittwoch, 14. März 2018, 12:15–12:30, H 1028

Membrane-mediated interactions between inclusions: the role of shape and background curvature — •Afshin Vahid¹, Andela Saric², and Timon Idema¹ — ¹TU Delft, Delft, the Netherlands — ²University Collage London (UCL), London, United Kingdom

Lipid membranes are vital to cell function. Their combination of fluid and elastic properties allows cells to cope with an out of equilibrium environment. Consequently, membranes exhibit a large variety of shapes, ranging from simple spherical liposomes to complex tubular networks. These shapes are regulated by protein inclusions, that can act both as curvature sensors and curvature inducers. We model the interaction between such inclusions in curved lipid bilayers. We show that in contrast to flat membranes, the inclusions can attract each other and collectively form biologically relevant patterns. For example, we find that even identical inclusions can spontaneously form rings on closed membranes, and those rings again act as curvature sensors. We further demonstrate that the curvature sensing and curvature inducing property of proteins are two sides of the same coin, depending on protein density. In particular, proteins can constrict tubular membranes and facilitate their splitting. This feature was recently observed in mitochondria, and can prevent entanglement with tubes of the ER network also present in the cell.