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arXiv · 1207.2575

Coexistence of dilute and densely packed domains of ligand-receptor bonds in membrane adhesion

Daniel Schmidt·Timo Bihr·Udo Seifert·Ana-Sunčana Smith
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Abstract

We analyze the stability of micro-domains of ligand-receptor bonds that mediate the adhesion of biological model membranes. After evaluating the effects of membrane fluctuations on the binding affinity of a single bond, we characterize the organization of bonds within the domains by theoretical means. In a large range of parameters, we find the commonly suggested dense packing to be separated by a free energy barrier from a regime in which bonds are sparsely distributed. If bonds are mobile, a coexistence of the two regimes should emerge, which agrees with recent experimental observations.

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Daniel Schmidt, Timo Bihr, Udo Seifert, Ana-Sunčana Smith. 2012-07-11. Coexistence of dilute and densely packed domains of ligand-receptor bonds in membrane adhesion. https://doi.org/10.1209/0295-5075/99/38003

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