A minimal model of plasma membrane heterogeneity requires coupling cortical actin to criticality

Details A minimal model of plasma membrane heterogeneity requires coupling cortical actin to criticality A minimal model of plasma membrane heterogeneity requires coupling cortical actin to criticality

2010-09-10

arxiv.org/abs/1009.2095v1

Biophysical Journal, Volume 100, Issue 7, 1668-1677, 2011

Biology

Quantitative Biology

Subcellular Processes

18 pages, 5 figures and 12 page Supplement (2 additional figures)

Scientific paper

10.1016/j.bpj.2011.02.029

We present a minimal model of plasma membrane heterogeneity that combines criticality with connectivity to cortical cytoskeleton. Our model is motivated by recent observations of micron-sized critical fluctuations in plasma membrane vesicles that are detached from their cortical cytoskeleton. We incorporate criticality using a conserved order parameter Ising model coupled to a simple actin cytoskeleton interacting through point-like pinning sites. Using this minimal model, we recapitulate several experimental observations of plasma membrane raft heterogeneity. Small (r~20nm) and dynamic fluctuations at physiological temperatures arise from criticality. Including connectivity to cortical cytoskeleton disrupts large fluctuations, prevents macroscopic phase separation at low temperatures (T<=22{\deg}C), and provides a template for long lived fluctuations at physiological temperature (T=37{\deg}C). Cytoskeleton-stabilized fluctuations produce significant barriers to the diffusion of some membrane components in a manner that is weakly dependent on the number of pinning sites and strongly dependent on criticality. More generally, we demonstrate that critical fluctuations provide a physical mechanism to organize and spatially segregate membrane components by providing channels for interaction over large distances.

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