Interaction between nanoparticles and charged phospholipid membranes

Abstract

Charged lipids in cell membranes and subcellular organelles are arranged in the form of a bilayer with the hydrocarbon tails sequestered away from the water and the polar head groups exposed to the aqueous environment. Most of them bear net negative charges leading to the negatively charged cell membranes. Charged lipid–lipid and lipid–protein interactions are generally dynamic and heavily depend on their local molecular concentrations. To examine the electrostatic properties of charged lipid layers in contact with an electrolyte solution, we incorporate the single chain mean field theory with Poisson–Boltzmann theory to explore the equilibrium structure of charged phospholipid membranes. Using the three bead coarse-grained model we reproduced the essential equilibrium properties of the charged phospholipid bilayer. We also investigate the influence of the mobile ions on the thickness of the layer, the area per lipid (APL), and the electrostatic potential of the membrane. Then we investigate the attraction–repulsion property of two charged nanoparticles which are stuck on the charged lipid molecules surrounded with mobile ions. After that we simulated the interaction between the Pleckstrin homology domain (PH domain) of Akt and the cytoplasmic membrane. Taking into account the electrostatic interaction, we observe the structure changes of the membrane at different concentrations of mobile ions in its equilibrium state. Also we discuss the influence of mobile ions on the size of the pore opened in the membrane by the charged protein. Such an observation may shed light on the activation of oncogenic Akt (or protein kinase B) around the membrane at the molecular level.