Biophysical approaches to protein-induced membrane deformations in trafficking.
Membrane traffic requires membrane deformation to generate vesicles and tubules. Strong evidence suggests that assembly of curvature-active proteins can drive such membrane shape changes. Well-documented pathways often involve protein scaffolds, in particular coats (clathrin or COP). However, membrane curvature should, in principle, be influenced by any protein binding asymmetrically on a membrane; large membrane morphological changes could result from their aggregation. In the case of Shiga toxin or viral matrix proteins, tubules and buds appear to result from the cargo-driven formation of protein-lipid nanodomains, showing that collective protein behaviour is crucial in the process. We argue here that a combination of in vitro experiments on giant unilamellar vesicles and theoretical modelling based on statistical physics is ideally suited to tackle these collective effects.
Laboratoire Gulliver, ESPCI, CNRS-UMR 7083, 10 rue Vauquelin, 75231 Paris Cedex 05, France.
Pierre
P
Sens
Ludger
L
Johannes
Patricia
P
Bassereau
D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D008566:Membranes / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D021381:Protein Transport; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D022161:Transport Vesicles / Q000378:metabolism*
D011506:Proteins