Flippase motor mediated membrane curvature
This structural model shown in the image below is a model of a
nanowire from Shewanella oneidensis.
(P. Subramanian, S. Pirbadian, M. El-Naggar, G.J.Jensen, BioRXiv(2016)).
Similar outer-membrane-vesicle-chains (OMVCs) are found in a number of other bacterial species and resemble
Delaunay surfaces
(surfaces of constant mean curvature).
Such surfaces have an imbalance between the inner and outer
(effective) surface area of the lipid bilayer membrane.
Such an imbalance can be created and maintained by
flippase or floppase
motors (red) which
pull lipid molecules
from one side of a membrane to the other.
time
Simulations of "flippases" and other more general or
complex molecular motors are possible
using the "molecular cellular automata" code extensions
for simulating active matter.
3-D graphics generated by
VMD
&
topotools .
Septemmber 21 2017
Andrew Jewett 