Proper functioning of biological membranes is in
large part due to cholesterol's ability to regulate
fluidity of a lipid bilayer. The evidence suggests
that cholesterol participates in the formation of
cholesterol- and sphingolipid-enriched domains known
as rafts in the plasma and other membranes of
animal cells. Rafts have been identified as an
important membrane structural units in signal
transduction, protein transport and sorting of
membrane components. The goal of this research is to
model raft-like membrane domains with tools of
computational biophysics. In the first part of the
work, mixtures of sphingomyelin lipid and cholesterol
are investigated using molecular dynamics and
Monte-Carlo simulations. In the second part of the
book, a novel dynamic mean-field model is developed
to investigate phase properties of lipid-cholesterol
membranes. This new technique allows studying large
bilayer patches on microsecond timescales, and has
powerful predictive capability. The material in this
book is most suitable for computational biophysicists
and biologists, as well as for scientists working in
statistical and condensed matter physics fields.
large part due to cholesterol's ability to regulate
fluidity of a lipid bilayer. The evidence suggests
that cholesterol participates in the formation of
cholesterol- and sphingolipid-enriched domains known
as rafts in the plasma and other membranes of
animal cells. Rafts have been identified as an
important membrane structural units in signal
transduction, protein transport and sorting of
membrane components. The goal of this research is to
model raft-like membrane domains with tools of
computational biophysics. In the first part of the
work, mixtures of sphingomyelin lipid and cholesterol
are investigated using molecular dynamics and
Monte-Carlo simulations. In the second part of the
book, a novel dynamic mean-field model is developed
to investigate phase properties of lipid-cholesterol
membranes. This new technique allows studying large
bilayer patches on microsecond timescales, and has
powerful predictive capability. The material in this
book is most suitable for computational biophysicists
and biologists, as well as for scientists working in
statistical and condensed matter physics fields.