Abstract
The steric repulsion between proteins on biological membranes is one of the most generic mechanisms that cause membrane shape changes. We present a minimal model where a spontaneous curvature is induced by steric repulsion between membrane-associated proteins. Our results show that the interplay between the induced spontaneous curvature and the membrane tension determine the energy minimizing shapes, which describe the wide range of experimentally observed membrane shapes, i.e. flat membranes, spherical vesicles, elongated tubular protrusions, and pearling structures.
Competing Interest Statement
The authors have declared no competing interest.
Footnotes
Email: susanlie{at}math.uio.no, acarlson{at}math.uio.no
Copyright
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