Inclusions induced phase separation in mixed lipid film

TL;DR

This paper models how rigid inclusions in mixed lipid films induce phase separation by coupling membrane curvature with composition, potentially explaining lipid-protein organization in biological membranes.

Contribution

It introduces a model linking inclusion-induced deformation and composition-dependent curvature to phase separation in lipid films, highlighting a mechanism for membrane heterogeneity.

Findings

Inclusions can cause global phase separation in otherwise mixed lipid films.

Membrane curvature influences local composition and phase behavior.

The model suggests a coupling mechanism relevant to biological membranes.

Abstract

The effect of rigid inclusions on the phase behavior of a film containing a mixture of lipid molecules is investigated. In the proposed model, the inclusion-induced deformation of the film, and the resulting energy cost are strongly dependent upon the spontaneous curvature of the mixed film. The spontaneous curvature is in turn strongly influenced by the composition of film. This coupling between the film composition and the energy per inclusion leads to a lateral modulation of the composition, which follows the local curvature of the membrane. In particular, it is shown that the inclusion may induce a global phase separation in a film which would otherwise be homogeneously mixed. The mixed film is then composed of patches of different average composition, separated by the inclusions. This process may be of relevance to explain some aspects of lipid-protein association in biological membranes.