title: SLIM: an improved generalized Born implicit membrane model.
abstract: In most implicit continuum models, membranes are represented as heterogeneous dielectric environments, but their treatment within computationally efficient generalized Born (GB) models is challenging. Despite several previous attempts, an adequate description of multiple dielectric regions in implicit GB-based membrane models that reproduce the qualitative and quantitative features of Poisson-Boltzmann (PB) electrostatics remains an unmet prerequisite of qualitatively correct implicit membrane models. A novel scheme (SLIM) to decompose one environment consisting of multiple dielectric regions into a sum of multiple environments consisting only of two dielectric regions each is proposed to solve this issue. These simpler environments can be treated with established GB methods. This approach captures qualitative features of PB electrostatic that are not present in previous models. Simulations of three membrane proteins demonstrate that this model correctly reproduces known properties of these proteins in agreement with experimental or other computational studies.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Nanotechnology (INT), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), P.O. Box 3640, 76021, Karlsruhe, Germany.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Setzler
authors.forename: Carolin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Seith
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brieg
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wenzel
mesh_terms: D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D016012:Poisson Distribution
chemical_list: D008567:Membranes, Artificial
keywords: Monte Carlo; generalized Born; implicit membrane; proteins