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Updated: Jul 2, 2026

Assembly of Cell Mimicking Supported and Suspended Lipid Bilayer Models for the Study of Molecular Interactions
Published on: August 3, 2021
Vesicle size and membrane composition control monomer transfer pathways in multicomponent lipid vesicles
Patrick Grosfils1, Patricia Losada-Pérez2
1Center for Nonlinear Phenomena and Complex Systems, Department of Physics, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Boulevard du Triomphe CP231, 1050 Brussels, Belgium.
Abstract:
Lipid exchange between populations of non-fusing protocells, mediated by monomer diffusion through the aqueous phase, is a key process underlying protocell growth and compositional equilibration. While most theoretical descriptions consider single-component membranes with constant desorption rates, the influence of vesicle size and lipid composition on lipid-transfer dynamics remains poorly understood. Here, we develop a kinetic model for lipid exchange in multicomponent protocell populations that incorporates lipid species with different desorption rates and composition-dependent membrane packing effects. We show that lipid composition heterogeneity introduces multiple equilibration timescales and can generate non-monotonic dynamics, including transient overshoots of intermediate lipid species. Vesicle-size asymmetry controls the direction and rate of lipid transfer, determining the donor or acceptor character of individual vesicle populations. Membrane compression further modifies lipid-transfer kinetics and vesicle-area evolution. These results demonstrate how vesicle size, lipid composition, and membrane packing jointly govern lipid-transfer dynamics in heterogeneous protocell populations.
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