A computational study of lateral phase separation in biological membranes

Area of Science:

• Computational biology
• Materials science
• Biophysics

Background:

• Phase separation in biological membranes is crucial for cellular function.
• Understanding coarsening dynamics requires accurate computational models.
• Complex membrane geometries pose challenges for traditional simulation methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare conservative and non-conservative phase-field models for simulating lateral phase separation and coarsening in biological membranes.
• To investigate the influence of complex membrane shapes on coarsening dynamics.
• To analyze the convergence of these models to equilibrium.

Main Methods:

• Utilized an unfitted finite element method for flexible handling of complex geometries without explicit surface parametrization.
• Simulated lateral phase separation and coarsening using both conservative and non-conservative phase-field models.
• Analyzed the dependence of coarsening dynamics on geometric characteristics and parameter values.

Main Results:

• Non-conservative models exhibited faster dynamic coarsening compared to conservative models.
• Coarsening rates were found to be dependent on specific geometric characteristics of the membrane.
• Both models demonstrated convergence towards the final equilibrium state.

Conclusions:

• Non-conservative phase-field models offer a potentially more efficient approach for simulating membrane coarsening.
• Geometric factors significantly influence phase separation dynamics in biological membranes.
• The proposed unfitted finite element method provides a robust framework for complex shape simulations.