Modeling morphological instabilities in lipid membranes with anchored amphiphilic polymers.

ABSTRACT: Anchoring molecules, like amphiphilic polymers, are able to dynamically regulate membrane morphology. Such molecules insert their hydrophobic groups into the bilayer, generating a local membrane curvature. In order to minimize the elastic energy penalty, a dynamic shape instability may occur, as in the case of the curvature-driven pearling instability or the polymer-induced tubulation of lipid vesicles. We review recent works on modeling of such instabilities by means of a mesoscopic dynamic model of the phase-field kind, which take into account the bending energy of lipid bilayers.

SUBMITTER: Campelo F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2701491 | biostudies-other | 2009 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other