Conference paper

Long Range Protein-Protein Interaction in Membranes

H. Gruler ; Abteilung fur Experimentelle Physik III, Universitat Ulm, Oberer Eselsberg, D-7900 Ulm (Donau), BRD
E. Sackmann ; Abteilung fur Experimentelle Physik III, Universitat Ulm, Oberer Eselsberg, D-7900 Ulm (Donau), BRD

Abstract

A model of mechanical long range protein-protein interaction
in membranes is proposed: a membrane bound protein may induce
a distortion of the average lipid orientation which may then be
transmitted by the lipid orientational elasticity o\rer · 1ong distances
to a second protein.· The .elastic force field thus ' cre'ated may lead
to both attractive and ' repulsive forces between the proteins. This
type of interaction· is a special case of the mechanical long range
forces between disclination in ordered fluids. The close analogy
between the lipid mediated protein-protein interaction in membranes
and the attraction between disclination lines in a nematic
layer is illustrated.
The long range interaction between membrane bound macromolecules
may be important for the formation of enzyme complexes
in biological membranes. A further pathway of enzyme-
complex formation in biological membranes is the condensation
of the proteins in small lipid domains that are formed upon thermalor
a charge-induced phase separation in the lipid bilayer. It is
shown that the charge induced domain formation may also provide
a simple mechanism of transverse protein-protein coupling accross
the membrane.

Keywords

Hrčak ID:

196377

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/196377

Publication date:

30.3.1977.

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