BIOPHYSICAL THEORY AND MODELING |
Towards a mathematical model of the assembly and disassembly
of membrane microdomains: comparison with experimental models
Giles Richardson 1, Linda J Cummings 1*, Helen J Harris 1 and Paul O'Shea 1
1 University of Nottingham
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: linda.cummings{at}nottingham.ac.uk.
Submitted on June 1, 2006
Revised on July 7, 2006
Accepted on 14 December 2006
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Abstract |
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We study a model system in which lipid bilayers are created using variable (precisely-known) proportions of phosphatidylcholine and cholesterol. The model membranes exhibit cholesterol-enriched microdomains, that are analogous to the so-called "lipid rafts" that form in living cells. After briefly presenting some experimental results, we formulate and solve a novel mathematical model, based on the Smoluchowski equations for coagulation and fragmentation. We present a comparison between the distribution of "lipid raft" areas observed in experimental lipid bilayers, and that distribution predicted by the theoretical model. Excellent agreement between the experiments and theory is obtained, with minimal parameter fitting.
Key Words:
Smoluchowski, cholesterol, lipid bilayer, master equation, microdomains, rafts
