Shape anisotropy of lipid molecules and voids.
Biological polymers, viz., proteins, membranes and micelles exhibit structural discontinuities in terms of spaces unfilled by the polymeric phase, termed voids. These voids exhibit dynamics and lead to interesting properties which are experimentally demonstrable. In the specific case of phospholipid membranes, numerical simulations on a two-dimensional model system showed that voids are induced primarily due to the shape anisotropy in binary mixtures of interacting disks. The results offer a minimal description required to explain the unusually large permeation seen in liposomes made up of specific lipid mixtures (Mathai & Sitaramam, 1994). The results are of wider interest, voids being ubiquitous in biopolymers.
Pradhan
Gauri R
GR
Department of Physics, University of Pune, Pune, 411 007, India. gpradhan@duke.edu
Pandit
Sagar A
SA
Gangal
Anil D
AD
Sitaramam
V
V
D016880:Anisotropy; D008081:Liposomes / Q000737:chemistry; D008563:Membrane Lipids / Q000737:chemistry*; D008566:Membranes / Q000737:chemistry; D008956:Models, Chemical; D010539:Permeability; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000737:chemistry
D008081:Liposomes; D008563:Membrane Lipids; D010743:Phospholipids