Authors
Ziliang Zhao, Vahid Satarifard, Reinhard Lipowsky, Rumiana Dimova
Publication date
2024/6/25
Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Volume
121
Issue
26
Pages
e2321579121
Publisher
National Academy of Sciences
Description
Cellular membranes exhibit a multitude of highly curved morphologies such as buds, nanotubes, cisterna-like sheets defining the outlines of organelles. Here, we mimic cell compartmentation using an aqueous two-phase system of dextran and poly(ethylene glycol) encapsulated in giant vesicles. Upon osmotic deflation, the vesicle membrane forms nanotubes, which undergo surprising morphological transformations at the liquid–liquid interfaces inside the vesicles. At these interfaces, the nanotubes transform into cisterna-like double-membrane sheets (DMS) connected to the mother vesicle via short membrane necks. Using super-resolution (stimulated emission depletion) microscopy and theoretical considerations, we construct a morphology diagram predicting the tube-to-sheet transformation, which is driven by a decrease in the free energy. Nanotube knots can prohibit the tube-to-sheet transformation by …
Total citations
Scholar articles
Z Zhao, V Satarifard, R Lipowsky, R Dimova - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2024