Electrostatics of Deformable Lipid Membranes

Electrostatics of deformable lipid membranes.

It was recently demonstrated that significant local deformations of biological membranes take place due to the fields of charged peptides and ions, challenging the standard model of membrane electrostatics. The ability of ions to retain their immediate hydration environment, combined with the lack of sensitivity of permeability to ion type or even ion pairs, led us to question the extent to whi...

Electrostatics of Cell Membranes

The electrostatic potential due to a charge in or near the plasma membrane of a eukaryotic cell is computed and applied to the transduction of cell-penetrating peptides and to the exocytosis of neurotransmitters.

Electrostatics of lipid bilayer bending.

The electrostatic contribution to spontaneous membrane curvature is calculated within Poisson-Boltzmann theory under a variety of assumptions and emphasizing parameters in the physiological range. Asymmetrical surface charges can be fixed with respect to bilayer midplane area or with respect to the lipid-water area, but induce curvatures of opposite signs. Unequal screening layers on the two si...

Lipid Membranes

Interaction of cationic phosphorus dendrimers with lipid membranes

Large unilamellar liposomes and multilamellar vesicles consisting of DMPC interacted with cationic phosphorus-containing dendrimers CPDs G3 and G4. DSC and ζ -potential measurements have shown that liposomal-dendrimeric molecular recognition occurs due to the interaction between the complementary surface groups. Calorimetric studies indicate that the enthalpy of the transition of the lipids tha...