Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 15, 2026

Reconstitution of Septin Assembly at Membranes to Study Biophysical Properties and Functions
Published on: July 28, 2022
Densely packed membrane configurations
Stefanie Heyden1, Michael Ortiz2,3
1ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland.
None:
We put forth a simple mathematical model of densely packed fluid membranes and solve for packing configurations that minimize their elastic energy. Numerical calculations are facilitated via a finite-difference discretization scheme. Absent topological constraints, energy-minimizing configurations are found to closely follow solutions of the eikonal equation. These typically involve foliations comprising many closed surfaces. We show how allowing for cuts and creases, with an additional minimization over the total crease energy, generates configurations consisting of a densely packed single sheet.
Related Concept Videos
Membrane Domains
Protein Domains
The membrane comprises a group of distinct proteins responsible for carrying out a cell's specific function. For example, the plasma membrane of the human sperm, or a single germ cell, contains a unique set of proteins in the...
Mechanisms of Membrane Domain Formation
Another mechanism for membrane domain formation involves membrane proteins interacting with...
Fluid Mosaic Model
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
Mechanisms of Membrane-bending
Membrane bending can happen due to intrinsic changes in lipid composition or extrinsic association with different proteins. The proteins involved...

