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On the Role of Electrostatic Repulsion in Topological Defect-Driven Membrane Fission.
Ekaterina Gongadze1, Luka Mesarec1, Samo Kralj2,3
1Laboratory of Physics, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Membranes
|November 27, 2021
Summary
This study presents an analytical model for osmotic pressure between charged surfaces, revealing repulsion that drives membrane vesicle fission and bead separation in protrusions.
Area of Science:
- Biophysics
- Physical Chemistry
- Computational Biology
Background:
- Understanding membrane dynamics and cell division requires knowledge of forces between membrane components.
- Existing models often simplify the complex interactions within electric double layers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To derive an analytical expression for osmotic pressure between charged surfaces.
- To model interactions relevant to cell division and membrane protrusion dynamics.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a modified Langevin Poisson-Boltzmann model.
- Incorporated orientational ordering of water dipoles.
- Accounted for spatial dependencies of electric potentials and fields.
Main Results:
- Derived an analytical expression for osmotic pressure between charged spheres.
- Captured interactions between parent cells and daughter vesicles.
- Modeled interactions between neighboring beads in membrane protrusions.
Conclusions:
- The model predicts repulsive forces crucial for membrane vesicle fission.
- These forces can drive the topological antidefect-driven fission of daughter vesicles.
- The findings aid in understanding the mechanics of membrane protrusion fission.
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