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arXiv · 0909.4440

An alternative scenario for the formation of specialized protein nano-domains (cluster phases) in biomembranes

Nicolas Destainville
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Abstract

We discuss a realistic scenario, accounting for the existence of sub-micrometric protein domains in cell membranes. At the biological level, such membrane domains have been shown to be specialized, in order to perform a determined biological task, in the sense that they gather one or a few protein species out of the hundreds of different ones that a cell membrane may contain. By analyzing the balance between mixing entropy and protein affinities, we propose that such protein sorting in distinct domains can be explained without appealing to pre-existing lipidic micro-phase separations, as in the lipid raft scenario. We show that the proposed scenario is compatible with known physical interactions between membrane proteins, even if thousands of different species coexist.

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Nicolas Destainville. 2010-09-28. An alternative scenario for the formation of specialized protein nano-domains (cluster phases) in biomembranes. https://doi.org/10.1209/0295-5075%2F91%2F58001

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