Out-of-plane deformability and its coupling with electrostatics in biomembranes

N. WILKE,; ALVARES, DAYANE S.

Emerging Topics in Life Sciences

Portland Press

Lugar: Londres; Año: 2023

2397-8554

ell membranes are quasi-bidimensional soft systems formed by multipoles in an orderedarray that can be polarized in an electric field. Consequently, electrostatic potentials emergeinside membranes, and membranes respond to external electric fields. From a mechanicalperspective, membranes can be easily compressed-expanded, laterally deformed, and curved.Bending is particularly easy, and this kind of deformation translates to changes in the relativepositions of the negative and positive charges, leading to strain gradient-induced polarization.Conversely, an external electric field gradient will exert a bending stress that translates tomechanical membrane deformation. These phenomena are described through membraneflexoelectricity. Here we describe this property in lipid bilayers and cell membranes andsummarize the studies in the field with emphasis on the effects promoted by membraneasymmetry.