Abstract
Lipid membranes, the barrier defining living cells and many of their subcompartments, bind to a wide variety of nano- and micrometer sized objects. In the presence of strong adhesive forces, membranes can strongly deform and wrap the particles, an essential step in crossing the membrane for a variety of healthy and disease-related processes. A large body of theoretical and numerical work has focused on identifying the physical properties that underly wrapping. Using a model system of micron-sized colloidal particles and giant unilamellar lipid vesicles with tunable adhesive forces, we measure a wrapping phase diagram and make quantitative comparisons to theoretical models. Our data are consistent with a model of membrane-particle interactions accounting for the adhesive energy per unit area, membrane bending rigidity, particle size, and vesicle radius.
- Received 7 July 2020
- Accepted 13 October 2020
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.125.198102
© 2020 American Physical Society
Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)
synopsis
A Phase Diagram for Wrapping
Published 5 November 2020
Researchers find the conditions for when a cell membrane will wrap around a plastic bead, providing insight into how living things interact with viruses, microplastics, and other objects.
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