Fusion of Membranes and Vesicles

    The fusion of membranes and vesicles is a very frequent process in all cells of our body. This process starts with two separate bilayer membranes, which are merged into a single one. A relatively simple way to induce this molecular reorganization is via membrane tension. [1] Recent simulation studies show that the corresponding fusion process is highly stochastic in nature and exhibits several tension-dependent energy barriers. [2] [3] [4] Optical microscopy with high temporal resolution has shown that the formation of a single fusion neck takes less than 50 microseconds. [5] Controlled fusion processes can be used to construct multi-domain vesicles [6] and to initiate the synthesis of nanoparticles in mesoscopic compartments [7].

  • B. Klasczyk, S. Panzner, R. Lipowsky, and V. Knecht
    Fusion-Relevant Changes in Lipid Shape of Hydrated Cholesterol Hemisuccinate Induced by pH and Counterion Species.
     J. Phys. Chem. B 114, 14941-14946 (2010).

  • Y.G. Smirnova, S.J. Marrink, R. Lipowsky, and V. Knecht
    Solvent-Exposed Tails as Prestalk Transition States for Membrane Fusion at Low Hydration.
     JACS 132, 6710-6718 (2010).

  • P. Yang, R. Lipowsky, and R. Dimova
    Nanoparticle Formation in Giant Vesicles: Synthesis in Biomimetic Compartments.
    Small 5, 2033-2037 (2009).

  • A. Grafmüller, J. Shillcock and R. Lipowsky
    The fusion of membranes and vesicles: Pathway and energy barriers from Dissipative Particle Dynamics.
     The fusion of membranes and vesicles ... - Supporting Information.
     Biophys. J. 96, 2658-2675 (2009).

  • L. Gao, R. Lipowsky, and J. C. Shillcock
    Tension-induced vesicle fusion: Pathways and pore dynamics.
     Soft Matter 4, 1208-1214 (2008).

  • R. Dimova, K.A. Riske, S. Aranda, N. Bezlyepkina, R.L. Knorr and R. Lipowsky
    Giant vesicles in electric fields.
     Soft Matter 3, 817 - 827 (2007).

  • A. Grafmüller, J. Shillcock and R. Lipowsky
    Pathway of Membrane Fusion with Two Tension-Dependent Energy Barriers.
     Pathway of Membrane Fusion ... - Appendices.
    Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 218101 (2007).

  • J. Shillcock and R. Lipowsky
    Visualizing soft matter: Mesoscopic simulations of membranes, vesicles, and nanoparticles.
     Biophys. Rev. Lett. 2, 33 - 55 (2007).

  • K. A. Riske, N. Bezlyepkina, R. Lipowsky, and R. Dimova
    Electrofusion of model lipid membranes viewed with high temporal resolution.
     Biophys. Rev. Lett. 1, 387 - 400 (2006).

  • C.K. Haluska, K.A. Riske, V. Marchi-Artzner, J.-M. Lehn, R. Lipowsky and R. Dimova
    Time scales of membrane fusion revealed by direct imaging of vesicle fusion with high temporal resolution.
     Time scales of membrane fusion ... - Supporting Information.
     PNAS 103, 15841 - 15846 (2006).

  • J.C. Shillcock and R. Lipowsky
    The computational route from bilayer membranes to vesicles fusion.
    J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 18, S1191 - S1219 (2006).

  • R. Lipowsky, M. Brinkmann, R. Dimova, C. Haluska, J. Kierfeld and J. Shillcock
    Wetting, budding, and fusion - morphological transitions of soft surfaces.
    J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 17, S2885 - S2902 (2005).

  • J.C. Shillcock and R. Lipowsky
    Tension-induced fusion of bilayer membranes and vesicles.
    Tension-induced fusion ... - Supplementary Information.
    Nature Materials 4, 225-228, (2005).