title: Multilamellar vesicular clusters of phosphatidylcholine and their sensitivity to spectrin: a study by fractal analysis.
abstract: The cluster patterns of multilamellar vesicles (MLV) of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) were analyzed using a combination of fractal analysis and lattice simulation. Self-assembly of DMPC MLVs resulted in two types of microscopically observable clusters. The clusters were classified on the basis of their mass fractal dimension, two-dimensional porosity, and the light scattering properties. Spectrin, a cytoskeletal protein, well known for its role in determining the cellular morphology, was used to perturb such spontaneously formed clusters. The fragmentation of the clusters by hydrodynamic perturbation followed a power law, implying again a fractal behavior. A lattice-based simulation was performed generating different class of cluster patterns. The observed correspondence between the cluster patterns and their stability was discussed in the framework of the proposed lattice simulation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Kalyani, Kalyani, 741235, India.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lahiri
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chakrabarti
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Dasgupta
mesh_terms: D004134:Dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine / Q000737:chemistry*; D017709:Fractals; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008081:Liposomes / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D010316:Particle Size; D016062:Porosity; D012542:Scattering, Radiation; D013049:Spectrin / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D008081:Liposomes; D013049:Spectrin; D004134:Dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine