Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 30, 2026

Assessing Two-dimensional Crystallization Trials of Small Membrane Proteins for Structural Biology Studies by Electron Crystallography
Published on: October 29, 2010
A computational study of lateral phase separation in biological membranes
Vladimir Yushutin1, Annalisa Quaini1, Sheereen Majd2
1Department of Mathematics, University of Houston, Houston, Texas.
Abstract:
Conservative and non-conservative phase-field models are considered for the numerical simulation of lateral phase separation and coarsening in biological membranes. An unfitted finite element method is proposed to allow for a flexible treatment of complex shapes in the absence of an explicit surface parametrization. For a set of biologically relevant shapes and parameter values, the paper compares the dynamic coarsening produced by conservative and non-conservative numerical models, its dependence on certain geometric characteristics and convergence to the final equilibrium.
Related Concept Videos
Imaging Studies III: Computed Tomography
Phase Diagrams
Lateralization
What is Conservation Biology?
Phase Transitions
Biological Effects of Radiation

