Quantifying the contributions of ENTH to membrane spontaneous curvature using coarse grained molecular dynamics

Abstract

The ability of cells to produce and maintain membrane curvature is critical for cellular function. Experiments throughout history have revealed a diverse set of mechanisms for how proteins can bend membranes. Models have been developed to shed insight on the mechanics behind these mechanisms. As the quality and fidelity of experimental data improves, using these models we can ask how changes to cellular regulatory pathways influence membrane ultrastructure and membrane trafficking processes. For continuum modeling of the membrane shape, if we select the spontaneous curvature model, which represents the bending energy as a function of membrane curvature, the key parameters to define are the bending modulus and spontaneous curvature.