Quantifying Lateral Inhomogeneity of Cholesterol-Containing Membranes.
J Phys Chem Lett
; 6(23): 4799-803, 2015 Dec 03.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-26575955
ABSTRACT
Lateral inhomogeneity plays a critical role for many properties of cholesterol-containing membranes, yet the thermodynamic forces involved in inhomogeneity remain poorly understood. Based on coarse-grained simulations of cholesterol in four increasingly unsaturated phospholipids, we computed lateral density fluctuations and free energies of domain formation, and we quantitatively relate those to variations in the chemical potential of cholesterol. Our simulations suggest that the lateral organization is dominated by weak repulsive cholesterol interactions, leading to a significantly more homogeneous distribution as compared to a two-dimensional ideal gas. Hence, phospholipids provide a "good" solvent for cholesterol. Unexpectedly, the degree of unsaturation of the phospholipid has only a minor effect on the lateral inhomogeneity of cholesterol in binary lipid mixtures. These results provide a link between functional properties and thermal fluctuations in lipid membranes.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Membrana Celular
/
Colesterol
/
Membrana Dobles de Lípidos
Idioma:
En
Revista:
J Phys Chem Lett
Año:
2015
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Alemania