Equilibrium microphase separation in the two-leaflet model of lipid membranes

TL;DR

This paper introduces a two-leaflet model for lipid membranes showing that interleaflet interactions suppress large-scale phase separation and promote stable nanoscale domain formation, with phase diagrams and simulations illustrating diverse nanostructures.

Contribution

The study presents a novel two-leaflet framework demonstrating microphase separation and equilibrium nanoscale domains in lipid membranes, advancing understanding of membrane heterogeneity.

Findings

Interleaflet interactions suppress macroscopic phase separation

Nanoscale domains form as stable equilibrium structures

Phase diagrams and simulations reveal diverse nanostructures

Abstract

A novel two-leaflet description of lipid membranes is proposed. Within its framework, phase separation phenomena in multicomponent biological membranes are analyzed. As we show, interactions between the leaflets tend to suppress macroscopic phase segregation (i.e., complete demixing of lipids) in such systems. Instead, microphase separation characterized by formation of equilibrium nanoscale domains can take place. The phase diagram is constructed and numerical simulations revealing nanostructures of different morphology are performed.