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A Hybrid Model for Erythrocyte Membrane: A Single Unit of Protein Network Coupled with Lipid Bilayer

Qiang Zhu ^*, Carlos Vera , Robert J. Asaro ^*, Paul Sche  and L. Amy Sung 

^* Department of Structural Engineering and Department of Bioengineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California

Correspondence: Address reprint requests to L. A. Sung, Tel.: 858-534-5250; E-mail: amysung{at}bioeng.ucsd.edu.

To investigate the nanomechanics of the erythrocyte membrane we developed a hybrid model that couples the actin-spectrin network to the lipid bilayer. This model features a Fourier space Brownian dynamics model of the bilayer, a Brownian dynamics model of the actin protofilament, and a modified wormlike-chain model of the spectrin (including a cable-dynamics model to predict the oscillation in tension). This model enables us to predict the nanomechanics of single or multiple units of the protein network, the lipid bilayer, and the effect of their interactions. The present work is focused on the attitude of the actin protofilament at the equilibrium states coupled with the elevations of the lipid bilayer through their primary linkage at the suspension complex in deformations. Two different actin-spectrin junctions are considered at the junctional complex. With a point-attachment junction, large pitch angles and bifurcation of yaw angles are predicted. Thermal fluctuations at bifurcation may lead to mode-switching, which may affect the network and the physiological performance of the membrane. In contrast, with a wrap-around junction, pitch angles remain small, and the occurrence of bifurcation is greatly reduced. These simulations suggest the importance of three-dimensional molecular junctions and the lipid bilayer/protein network coupling on cell membrane mechanics.

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