Related papers: Heterogeneous biological membranes regulate protei…
High-resolution structural information on membrane proteins is essential for understanding cell biology and for structure-based design of new medical drugs and drug delivery strategies. X-ray diffraction (XRD) can provide {\AA}ngstrom-level…
We develop coarse-grained particle approaches for studying the elastic mechanics of vesicles with heterogeneous membranes having phase-separated domains. We perform simulations both of passive shape fluctuations and of active systems where…
A novel combination of discontinuous molecular dynamics and the Langevin equation, together with an intermediate-resolution model, are used to carry out long (several $\mu$s) simulation and study folding transition and transport of proteins…
We investigate membrane-mediated interactions between transmembrane proteins using coarse-grained models. We compare the effective potential of mean force (PMF) between two proteins, which are always aligned parallel to the z-axis of the…
Biological membranes are host to proteins and molecules which may form domain-like structures resulting in spatially-varying material properties. Vesicles with such heterogeneous membranes can exhibit intricate shapes at equilibrium and…
Morphogens are secreted signaling molecules that mediate tissue patterning and growth of embryonic tissues. They are secreted in a localized region and spread through the tissue to form a graded concentration profile. We present a…
We discuss the hydrodynamic collective effects due to active protein molecules that are immersed in lipid bilayer membranes and modeled as stochastic force dipoles. We specifically take into account the presence of the bulk solvent which…
Recent advancements in the ability to construct three-dimensional (3D) tissues and organoids from stem cells and biomaterials have not only opened abundant new research avenues in disease modeling and regenerative medicine but also have…
In experiments on model membranes, a formation of large domains of different lipid composition is readily observed. However, no such phase separation is observed in the membranes of intact cells. Instead, a structure of small transient…
Molecular transport maintains cellular structures and functions. For example, lipid and protein diffusion sculpts the dynamic shapes and structures on the cell membrane that perform essential cellular functions, such as cell signaling.…
We address the relationship between membrane microheterogeneity and anomalous subdiffusion in cell membranes by carrying out Monte Carlo simulations of two-component lipid membranes. We find that near-critical fluctuations in the membrane…
Diffusion of molecules in cells plays an important role in providing a biological reaction on the surface by finding a target on the membrane surface. The water retardation (slow diffusion) near the target assists the searching molecules to…
Subdiffusion is a hallmark of complex systems, ranging from protein folding to transport in viscoelastic media. However, despite its pervasiveness, the mechanistic origins of subdiffusion remain contested. Here, we analyze both Markovian…
Self-assembly of protein monomers into distinct membrane protein oligomers provides a general mechanism for diversity in the molecular architectures, and resulting biological functions, of membrane proteins. We develop a general physical…
Protein compartmentalization in the frame of a liquid-liquid phase separation is a key mechanism to optimize spatiotemporal control of biological systems. Such a compartmentalization process reduces the intrinsic noise in protein…
Fluorescence microscopy has led to impressive quantitative models and new insights gained from richer sets of biomedical imagery. However, there is a dearth of rigorous and established bioimaging strategies for modeling spatiotemporal…
Navigation of microorganisms is controlled by internal processes ultimately sensitive to mechanical or chemical signaling encountered along the path. In many natural environments, such as porous soils or physiological ducts, motile species…
Cellular membranes exhibit a large variety of shapes, strongly coupled to their function. Many biological processes involve dynamic reshaping of membranes, usually mediated by proteins. This interaction works both ways: while proteins…
In a cellular medium, the plasmic membrane is a place of interactions between the cell and its direct external environment. A classic model describes it as a fluid mosaic. The fluid phase of the membrane allows a lateral degree of freedom…
We analyze an inhomogeneous system of coupled reaction-diffusion equations representing the dynamics of gene expression during differentiation of nerve cells. The outcome of this developmental phase is the formation of distinct functional…