title: Membrane shape equations.
abstract: Shape equations allow the understanding of complex conformations of membranes of cells and cell organelles. We describe the theoretical approaches used to describe the elastic behaviour of lipid membranes, review the sets of equations proposed previously to analyse membrane mechanical equilibrium and discuss their limitations. We further present a derivation of generalized shape equations, which are not limited by any assumptions about the membrane structure and shape. These equations represent a tool for the analysis of complex shapes of cell membranes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel.
authors.forename: Michael M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Kozlov