Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 2, 2026

Realistic Membrane Modeling Using Complex Lipid Mixtures in Simulation Studies
Published on: September 1, 2023
Self-consistent mean-field model for palmitoyloleoylphosphatidylcholine-palmitoyl sphingomyelin-cholesterol lipid
Paul W Tumaneng1, Sagar A Pandit, Guijun Zhao
1Department of Biological, Chemical and Physical Sciences and Center for the Molecular Study of Condensed Soft Matter, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, Illinois 60616, USA.
Abstract:
The connection between membrane inhomogeneity and the structural basis of lipid rafts has sparked interest in the lateral organization of model lipid bilayers of two and three components. In an effort to investigate anisotropic lipid distribution in mixed bilayers, a self-consistent mean-field theoretical model is applied to palmitoyloleoylphosphatidylcholine (POPC)--palmitoyl sphingomyelin (PSM)--cholesterol mixtures. The compositional dependence of lateral organization in these mixtures is mapped onto a ternary plot. The model utilizes molecular dynamics simulations to estimate interaction parameters and to construct chain conformation libraries. We find that at some concentration ratios the bilayers separate spatially into regions of higher and lower chain order coinciding with areas enriched with PSM and POPC, respectively. To examine the effect of the asymmetric chain structure of POPC on bilayer lateral inhomogeneity, we consider POPC-lipid interactions with and without angular dependence. Results are compared with experimental data and with results from a similar model for mixtures of dioleoylphosphatidylcholine, steroyl sphingomyelin, and cholesterol.
Related Concept Videos
Fluid Mosaic Model
Fluid Mosaic Model
Asymmetric Lipid Bilayer
Synthesis of Phosphatidylcholine in the ER Membrane
The major components of all eukaryotic cell...
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...
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...

