Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Modeling protein-mediated morphology in biomembranes

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Biomechanics and Modeling in Mechanobiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The equilibrium theory for lipid membranes is used to describe the structure of nuclear pores and the membrane shapes accompanying endocytosis. The commonly used variant of the theory contains a fixed parameter called the spontaneous curvature which accounts for asymmetry in the bending response of the membrane. This is replaced here by a variable distribution of spontaneous curvature representing the influence of attached proteins. The required adjustments to the standard theory are described and the resulting model is applied to the study of membrane morphology at the cites of protein-assisted nuclear pore formation and endocytosis.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Agrawal A, Steigmann DJ (2008) Coexistent fluid-phase equilibria in biomembranes with bending elasticity. J Elast 93: 63–80

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  • Alberts B, Johnson A, Lewis J, Raff M, Roberts K, Walter P (2002) Molecular biology of the cell, 4th edn. Garland Science, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Beck M, Förster F, Ecke M, Plitzko JM, Melchior F, Gerisch G, Baumeister W, Medalia O (2004) Nuclear pore complex structure and dynamics revealed by cryoelectron tomography. Science 306: 1387–1390

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boal D (2002) Mechanics of the Cell. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Drummond SP, Wilson KL (2002) Interference with the cytoplasmic tail of ‘gp210’ disrupts close apposition of nuclear membranes and blocks nuclear pore dilation. J Cell Biol 158: 53–62

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Evans EA, Skalak R (1980) Mechanics and thermodynamics of biomembranes. CRC Press, Boca Raton

    Google Scholar 

  • Helfrich W (1973) Elastic properties of lipid bilayers: theory and possible experiments. Z Naturforsch 28: 693–703

    MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  • Jenkins JT (1977a) Static equilibrium configurations of a model red blood cell. J Math Biol 4: 149–169

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Jenkins JT (1977b) The equations of mechanical equilibrium of a model membrane. SIAM J Appl Math 32: 755–764

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  • Kim KS, Neu J, Oster G (1998) Curvature-mediated interactions between membrane proteins. Biophys J 75: 2274–2291

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kreyszig E (1959) Differential geometry. University of Toronto Press, Toronto

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Margalit A, Vlcek S, Gruenbaum Y, Foisner R (2005) Breaking and making of the nuclear envelope. J Cell Biochem 95: 454–465

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ou-Yang Z-C, Liu J-X, Xie Y-Z (1999) Geometric methods in the elastic theory of membranes in liquid crystal phases. World Scientific, Singapore

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Perry MM, Gilbert AB (1979) Yolk transport in the ovarian follicle of the hen (Gallus domesticus): Lipoprotein-like particles at the periphery of the oocyte in the rapid growth phase. J Cell Sci 39: 257–272

    Google Scholar 

  • Steigmann DJ (1999a) Fluid films with curvature elasticity. Arch Rational Mech Anal 150: 127–152

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  • Steigmann DJ (1999b) On the relationship between the Cosserat and Kirchhoff-Love theories of elastic shells. Math Mech Solids 4: 275–288

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  • Steigmann DJ, Baesu E, Rudd RE, Belak J, McElfresh M (2003) On the variational theory of cell-membrane equilibria. Interfaces Free Boundaries 5: 357–366

    MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA

    Ashutosh Agrawal

  2. Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA

    David J. Steigmann

Authors
  1. Ashutosh Agrawal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. David J. Steigmann
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to David J. Steigmann.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Agrawal, A., Steigmann, D.J. Modeling protein-mediated morphology in biomembranes. Biomech Model Mechanobiol 8, 371–379 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10237-008-0143-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10237-008-0143-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation