Abstract
In an effort to understand “rafts” in biological membranes, wepropose phenomenological models for saturated and unsaturatedlipid mixtures, and lipid-cholesterol mixtures. We considersimple couplings between the local composition and internalmembrane structure, and their influence on transitions betweenliquid and gel membrane phases. Assuming that the gel transitiontemperature of the saturated lipid is shifted by the presence ofthe unsaturated lipid, and that cholesterol acts as an externalfield on the chain melting transition, a variety of phasediagrams are obtained. The phase diagrams for binary mixtures ofsaturated/unsaturated lipids and lipid/cholesterol are insemi-quantitative agreement with the experiments. Our resultsalso apply to regions in the ternary phase diagram oflipid/lipid/cholesterol systems.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
