Theoretical and Simulation Study of Lipid Membranes

Proper functioning of biological membranes is in
large part due to cholesterol's ability to regulate
fluidity of a lipid bilayer. The evidence suggests
that cholesterol participates in the formation of
cholesterol- and sphingolipid-enriched domains known
as rafts in the plasma and other membranes of
animal cells. Rafts have been identified as an
important membrane structural units in signal
transduction, protein transport and sorting of
membrane components. The goal of this research is to
model raft-like membrane domains with tools of
computational biophysics. In the first part of the
work, mixtures of sphingomyelin lipid and cholesterol
are investigated using molecular dynamics and
Monte-Carlo simulations. In the second part of the
book, a novel dynamic mean-field model is developed
to investigate phase properties of lipid-cholesterol
membranes. This new technique allows studying large
bilayer patches on microsecond timescales, and has
powerful predictive capability. The material in this
book is most suitable for computational biophysicists
and biologists, as well as for scientists working in
statistical and condensed matter physics fields.

Autorentext
George Khelashvili, Ph.D.: Graduated with master's degree inphysics from Tbilisi State University, Georgia in 1999. ReceivedPh.D. in physics in 2005 from Illinois Institute of Technology,Chicago, USA. Currently, research associate at the department ofPhysiology and Biophysics at Weill Medical College of CornellUniversity, New York, USA.

Klappentext
Proper functioning of biological membranes is inlarge part due to cholesterol's ability to regulatefluidity of a lipid bilayer. The evidence suggeststhat cholesterol participates in the formation ofcholesterol- and sphingolipid-enriched domains knownas "rafts" in the plasma and other membranes ofanimal cells. Rafts have been identified as animportant membrane structural units in signaltransduction, protein transport and sorting ofmembrane components. The goal of this research is tomodel raft-like membrane domains with tools ofcomputational biophysics. In the first part of thework, mixtures of sphingomyelin lipid and cholesterolare investigated using molecular dynamics andMonte-Carlo simulations. In the second part of thebook, a novel dynamic mean-field model is developedto investigate phase properties of lipid-cholesterolmembranes. This new technique allows studying largebilayer patches on microsecond timescales, and haspowerful predictive capability. The material in thisbook is most suitable for computational biophysicistsand biologists, as well as for scientists working instatistical and condensed matter physics fields.