title: Continuum simulations of biomembrane dynamics and the importance of hydrodynamic effects.
abstract: Traditional particle-based simulation strategies are impractical for the study of lipid bilayers and biological membranes over the longest length and time scales (microns, seconds and longer) relevant to cellular biology. Continuum-based models developed within the frameworks of elasticity theory, fluid dynamics and statistical mechanics provide a framework for studying membrane biophysics over a range of mesoscopic to macroscopic length and time regimes, but the application of such ideas to simulation studies has occurred only relatively recently. We review some of our efforts in this direction with emphasis on the dynamics in model membrane systems. Several examples are presented that highlight the prominent role of hydrodynamics in membrane dynamics and we argue that careful consideration of fluid dynamics is key to understanding membrane biophysics at the cellular scale.
authors: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA. flbrown@chem.ucsb.edu
authors: Frank L H
authors: FL
authors: Brown
mesh_terms: D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D003198:Computer Simulation; D004058:Diffusion; D004548:Elasticity; D057446:Hydrodynamics; D007700:Kinetics; D008051:Lipid Bilayers / Q000737:chemistry*; D008560:Membrane Fluidity; D021962:Membrane Microdomains / Q000737:chemistry*; D008954:Models, Biological; D056004:Molecular Dynamics Simulation; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D008051:Lipid Bilayers