A cellular automaton for modeling non-trivial biomembrane ruptures

Area of Science:

• Biophysics
• Computational Biology
• Materials Science

Background:

• Biological membrane rupture is a complex phenomenon.
• Understanding membrane mechanics is crucial for various biological processes.
• Existing models may not fully capture rupture dynamics and morphologies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a novel cellular automaton (CA) model for simulating biological membrane rupture.
• To investigate the role of inter-layer adhesion in membrane rupture morphology.
• To compare simulation results with experimental data for validation.

Main Methods:

• Development of a cellular automaton (CA) model with rules for deformation, tension, and fracture.
• Incorporation of concepts from percolation models and bond-based fracture methods.
• Simulation of a double bilayer lipid membrane expanding on a solid substrate.

Main Results:

• The CA model successfully simulates non-trivial rupture morphologies, including floral patterns.
• The model captures saltatory dynamics of fractal avalanches observed in experiments.
• Simulation results provide insights into the influence of inter-layer adhesion density on rupture morphology.

Conclusions:

• The proposed CA model is effective for simulating biological membrane rupture.
• Inter-layer adhesion density is a key factor governing rupture morphology.
• The model supports the hypothesis that adhesion site density dictates rupture patterns.