Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 6, 2026

Neutron Spin Echo Spectroscopy as a Unique Probe for Lipid Membrane Dynamics and Membrane-Protein Interactions
Published on: May 27, 2021
Motion of objects embedded in lipid bilayer membranes: Advection and effective viscosity
Brian A Camley1, Frank L H Brown2
1Departments of Physics & Astronomy and Biophysics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA.
Abstract:
An interfacial regularized Stokeslet scheme is presented to predict the motion of solid bodies (e.g., proteins or gel-phase domains) embedded within flowing lipid bilayer membranes. The approach provides a numerical route to calculate velocities and angular velocities in complex flow fields that are not amenable to simple Faxén-like approximations. Additionally, when applied to shearing motions, the calculations yield predictions for the effective surface viscosity of dilute rigid-body-laden membranes. In the case of cylindrical proteins, effective viscosity calculations are compared to two prior analytical predictions from the literature. Effective viscosity predictions for a dilute suspension of rod-shaped objects in the membrane are also presented.
More Related Videos
07:31Author Spotlight: Advancing Cell Membrane Biophysics - Exploring Interactions and Challenges Through Experimental and Computational Approaches
Published on: September 1, 2023
07:54Fluorescence Recovery after Merging a Droplet to Measure the Two-dimensional Diffusion of a Phospholipid Monolayer
Published on: October 15, 2015
Related Concept Videos
Protein Diffusion in the Membrane
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...
Membrane Fluidity
Stokes' Law
The expression for the force on a solid spherical object in a fluid is called Stokes' law. Stokes' law is valid only...
Viscosity
The SI unit of viscosity is...
Surface Tension, Capillary Action, and Viscosity
The various IMFs between identical molecules of a substance are examples of cohesive forces. The molecules within a liquid are surrounded by other molecules and are attracted equally in all directions by the cohesive forces within the liquid. However, the molecules on the surface of a liquid are attracted only by about one-half as many molecules. Because of the unbalanced molecular attractions on the surface molecules, liquids contract to form a shape that minimizes the number...