A software tool for simulating spatial separation and kinetics in biological membranes

Dan Valeriu Nicolau Jr.; Kevin Burrage

doi:10.1117/12.585052

16 February 2005 A software tool for simulating spatial separation and kinetics in biological membranes

Proceedings Volume 5651, Biomedical Applications of Micro- and Nanoengineering II; (2005) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.585052
Event: Smart Materials, Nano-, and Micro-Smart Systems, 2004, Sydney, Australia

Abstract

Self-segregation and compartimentalisation are observed experimentally to occur spontaneously on live membranes as well as reconstructed model membranes. It is believed that many of these processes are caused or supported by anomalous diffusive behaviours of biomolecules on membranes due to the complex and heterogeneous nature of these environments. These phenomena are on the one hand of great interest in biology, since they may be an important way for biological systems to selectively localize receptors, regulate signaling or modulate kinetics; and on the other, they provide an inspiration for engineering designs that mimick natural systems. We present an interactive software package we are developing for the purpose of simulating such processes numerically using a fundamental Monte Carlo approach. This program includes the ability to simulate kinetics and mass transport in the presence of either mobile or immobile obstacles and other relevant structures such as liquid-ordered lipid microdomains. We also present preliminary simulation results regarding the selective spatial localization and chemical kinetics modulating power of immobile obstacles on the membrane, obtained using the program.

Citation Download Citation

Dan Valeriu Nicolau Jr. and Kevin Burrage "A software tool for simulating spatial separation and kinetics in biological membranes", Proc. SPIE 5651, Biomedical Applications of Micro- and Nanoengineering II, (16 February 2005); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.585052

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KEYWORDS

Molecules

Monte Carlo methods

Diffusion

Computer simulations

Stochastic processes

Systems modeling

Algorithm development

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