Molecular Dynamics Study of Lipid Bilayers and Ion Transport across Them

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Membrane area fluctuation of the lipid bilayer has been investigated based upon two-dimensional Voronoi tessellation analysis for the centers of mass of the lipid molecules projected on the bilayer plane. Long-time trajectories of the molecules used in the analysis have been generated by molecular dynamics calculations. The single-molecular area defined by Voronoi polygon showed a broad Gaussian distribution, from which area distribution of the membrane composed of N lipid molecules may satisfactorily be predicted. The fluctuation was found to be caused mainly by thermal motions of the alkyl chains. The number of gauche conformation and alkyl chain length was strongly correlated to the molecular area. Head group motions, however, showed little contribution to the fluctuation. Geometry of Voronoi polygons and the number of nearest neighbor molecules showed rather broad distribution due to the thermal flucuation. This is in contrast to the structure found in the ripple, gel, and crystal … More phases. Formation of large pores in the membrane has been investigated. The fluctuation must play an important role for the substance transport across the numbrance.Electrostatic properties of the dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine bilayer in water have also been investigated on the basis of molecular dynamics calculations in the isothermal-isobaric ensemble. Analysis of the long-time trajectory of partial charges on the atoms showed that polarization of the total system has an anisotropic fluctuation; the component along the bilayer normal was 1 order of magnitude smaller than that parallel to the bilayer plane, the polarization of lipid being canceled out mostly by that of water along the bilayer normal. A positive electrostatic potential was observed inside the membrane. The potential was found to vary in two steps across the interface; the first gradient comes from the preferential orientation of the ester group, and the second one is attributed to asymmetrical solvation of water around the phosphate group. Slower reorientation of the dipole projected on the bilayer normal was found than that on the bilayer plane. Dynamics to water near the headgroup was strongly influenced by the hydrogen bonding with the phosphate group. Less