Nucleation of ligand-receptor domains in membrane adhesion.
We present a comprehensive model for the nucleation of domains in membrane adhesion. We determine the critical number of bonds in a nucleus and calculate the probability distribution of nucleation time from a discrete master equation. The latter is characterized by only four effective rates, which account for cooperative effects between bonds. We validate our model by finding excellent agreement with extensive Langevin simulations. In the range of parameters typical for cell adhesion, we find the critical number of bonds to be small. Furthermore, we find a characteristic separation between the bonds at which nucleation is particularly fast, pointing to potential regulatory mechanisms that could be used to control the cell recognition processes.
II. Institut für Theoretische Physik, Universität Stuttgart, Pfaffenwaldring 57, 70550 Stuttgart, Germany.
Timo
T
Bihr
Udo
U
Seifert
Ana-Sunčana
AS
Smith
D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000502:physiology*; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism; D008024:Ligands; D008954:Models, Biological; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000502:physiology*; D013816:Thermodynamics
D008024:Ligands; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface