The lipid raft hypothesis presents insights into how the cell membrane organizes proteins and lipids to accomplish its many vital functions. Yet basic questions remain about the physical mechanisms that lead to the formation, stability, and size of lipid rafts. In the talk, I will discuss our efforts towards addressing these fundamental questions by combining neutron scattering and high-performance computer simulations. Taking advantage of neutron’s unique sensitivity to the isotopes of hydrogen, we detected membrane lateral heterogeneity on a length scale of 3–40 nm in <i>B. subtilis</i>. We were also able to isolate the bending modulus of ∼13 nm diameter domains residing in 60 nm unilamellar vesicles, whose lipid composition mimics the mammalian plasma membrane outer leaflet. Corresponding all-atom molecular dynamics simulations provided critical insights into the physical properties of these model membranes and bacterial lipid extracts. These studies - performed under biologically relevant conditions - inform a number of theoretical models of domain/raft formation and illustrate the potential of joining neutron scattering and simulations for systematic investigations of cell membrane structures.<br/>

Joining neutron scattering and simulations for complex biomembranes

2019 Spring National Meeting

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.