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A Molecular Dynamics Simulation Study of Nanomechanical Properties of Asymmetric Lipid Bilayer

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Abstract

A very important part of the living cells of biological systems is the lipid membrane. The mechanical properties of this membrane play an important role in biophysical studies. Investigation as to how the insertion of additional phospholipids in one leaflet of a bilayer affects the physical properties of the obtained asymmetric lipid membrane is of recent practical interest. In this work a coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulation was carried out in order to compute the pressure tensor, the lateral pressure, the surface tension and the first moment of lateral pressure in each leaflet of such a bilayer. Our simulations indicate that adding more phospholipids into one monolayer results in asymmetrical changes in the lateral pressure of the individual bilayer leaflets. Interestingly, it has been observed that a change in phospholipid density in one leaflet affects the physical properties of unperturbed leaflet as well. The asymmetric behavior of the physical properties of the two leaflets as a result of a change in the contribution of the various intermolecular forces in the presence of additional phospholipids may be expressed formally.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Tehran, P.O. Box 14399-55961, Tehran, Iran

    Negin Maftouni & Farshad Kowsari

  2. Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, School of Biology, University College of Science, University of Tehran, P.O. Box 14155-6455, Tehran, Iran

    Mehriar Amininasab

  3. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Shahed University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

    Mansour Vali

  4. Department of Physics, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran

    Mohammadreza Ejtehadi

Authors
  1. Negin Maftouni
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  2. Mehriar Amininasab
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  3. Mansour Vali
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  4. Mohammadreza Ejtehadi
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  5. Farshad Kowsari
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Correspondence to Mehriar Amininasab.

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Maftouni, N., Amininasab, M., Vali, M. et al. A Molecular Dynamics Simulation Study of Nanomechanical Properties of Asymmetric Lipid Bilayer. J Membrane Biol 246, 67–73 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00232-012-9505-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00232-012-9505-8

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