Lipid Organization of the Plasma Membrane

The detailed organization of cellular membranes remains rather elusive. Based on large-scale molecular dynamics simulations, we provide a high-resolution view of the lipid organization of a plasma membrane at an unprecedented level of complexity. Our plasma membrane model consists of 63 different lipid species, combining 14 types of headgroups and 11 types of tails asymmetrically distributed across the two leaflets, closely mimicking an idealized mammalian plasma membrane. We observe an enrichment of cholesterol in the outer leaflet and a general non-ideal lateral mixing of the different lipid species. Transient domains with liquid-ordered character form and disappear on the microsecond time scale. These…

• NO
  Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek

  Award: 722.013.010
• BF
  BE-Basic Foundation
• NS
  Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada