Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 27, 2026

Assembly of Cell Mimicking Supported and Suspended Lipid Bilayer Models for the Study of Molecular Interactions
Published on: August 3, 2021
Coarse-grained modeling of interactions of lipid bilayers with supports
Matthew I Hoopes1, Markus Deserno, Margie L Longo
1Graduate Group in Biophysics, University of California, Davis, California 95616, USA.
Abstract:
We characterize the differences between supported and unsupported lipid bilayer membranes using a mesoscopic simulation model and a simple particle-based realization for a flat support on to which the lipids are adsorbed. We show that the nanometer roughness of the support affects membrane binding strength very little. We then compare the lipid distributions and pressure profiles of free and supported membranes. The surface localization of the proximal leaflet breaks the symmetry seen in a free bilayer, and we quantify the entropic penalty for binding and the increased lateral compression modulus.
Related Concept Videos
Asymmetric Lipid Bilayer
Fluid Mosaic Model
Fluid Mosaic Model
Assembly of the Lipid Bilayer in the ER
A large chunk of any biological membrane is composed of phospholipids. These lipids have a heterogeneous distribution across different subcellular organelles and even between...
Mechanisms of Membrane Domain Formation
Another mechanism for membrane domain formation involves membrane proteins interacting with cytoskeletal...
Membrane Fluidity
Mosaic nature of the membrane
The mosaic characteristic of the membrane helps the plasma membrane remain fluid. The integral proteins and lipids exist as separate but loosely-attached molecules in the membrane. The membrane is a relatively...

