ISSN:
1432-1017
Keywords:
lipid membrane
;
lipid-protein interactions
;
phase diagram
;
hydrophobic thickness
;
solution theory
;
membrane elasticity
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Biology
,
Physics
Notes:
Abstract A two-component solution theory is studied which incorporates hydrophobic matching as a major contribution to the lipid-protein interactions in biological membranes. A special geometrical constraint has been discovered which has important implications for the quantitative interpretation of physical effects to lipid-protein interactions. The theory has an advantage over conventional Landau-type phenomenological descriptions in that it accounts for phase separation. A certain class of experimental systems, photosynthetic reaction centre and antenna proteins reconstituted into synthetic lipid membranes of different hydrophobic thicknesses, are considered with a view to determining the parameters of the theory. The theoretical predictions are found to be in good agreement with experimental measurements of shifts in the phase transition temperature.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00255320
