A New Computational Method for Membrane Compressibility: Bilayer Mechanical Thickness Revisited.

ABSTRACT: Because lipid bilayers can bend and stretch in ways similar to thin elastic sheets, physical models of bilayer deformation have utilized mechanical constants such as the moduli for bending rigidity (κ_C) and area compressibility (K_A). However, the use of these models to quantify the energetics of membrane deformation associated with protein-membrane interactions, and the membrane response to stress is often hampered by the shortage of experimental data suitable for the estimation of the mechanical constants of various lipid mixtures. Although computational tools such as molecular dynamics simulations can provide alternative means to estimate K_A values, current approaches suffer significant technical limitations. Here, we present a novel, to our knowledge, co

SUBMITTER: Doktorova M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6369663 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature