1.
Phys Rev E Stat Nonlin Soft Matter Phys
; 72(1 Pt 1): 011915, 2005 Jul.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-16090009
ABSTRACT
A minimalist simulation model for lipid bilayers is presented. Each lipid is represented by a flexible chain of beads in implicit solvent. The hydrophobic effect is mimicked through an intermolecular pair potential localized at the "water"/hydrocarbon tail interface. This potential guarantees realistic interfacial tensions for lipids in a bilayer geometry. Lipids self-assemble into bilayer structures that display fluidity and elastic properties consistent with experimental model membrane systems. Varying molecular flexibility allows for tuning of elastic moduli and area per molecule over a range of values seen in experimental systems.