CAREER: Lipid Membrane Organization in the Presence of External Fluid Flow

PI的研究建议通过实验和计算方法来研究流动对脂膜和脂膜/蛋白膜分子结构的影响。他将制作模型脂膜，并使用荧光显微镜研究流动对蛋白质和脂类流动性的影响。许多细胞类型，如红细胞和中性粒细胞，经常暴露在流场中的应力和变形中，影响膜中蛋白质的行为。这种应激刺激对在流动条件下生长的内皮细胞具有深刻的生化影响。其他证据，如疾病状态下膜流动性的改变，表明膜/外部流动相互作用是重要的。PI假设膜的分子结构可以通过流动诱导的压力而改变，并且这种改变可以产生生理后果。为了了解分子相互作用，他们将开发膜的多尺度连续/分子动力学模型。这种多尺度方法将允许我们将流体流动建模为连续统，但将其影响到膜脂和蛋白质的离散原子上。因此，模拟的长度将被延长，以允许调查远程运动和秩序。期待本研究在分子动力学建模和膜生物学方面做出重大贡献。这个项目的计算部分包含了几个非常适合本科生能力的问题。这项提议的教育部分将是让本科生参与长期的多学科研究。本科生研究和课外工作都被证明对本科生的发展有积极的影响。

0134594VaughnThe PI's research proposes to study the effect of flow on the molecular organization of lipid and lipid/protein membranes by employing experiments and computational methods. He will make model lipid membranes and use fluorescent microscopy to investigate the effect of flow on protein and lipid mobility. Many cell types such as erythrocytes and neutrophils are regularly exposed to stress and deformation in a flow field that affect the behavior of proteins in membrane. This kind of stress stimulus has profound biochemical effects on endothelial cells grown under flow conditions. Other evidence, such as the alteration of membrane fluidity in disease states, suggests that membrane/external flow interactions are important. The PI hypothesized that the molecular organization of the membrane can be altered by flow-induced stress, and that this alteration can have physiological consequences. To understand molecular interactions, they will develop a multi-scale continuum / molecular dynamic model of the membrane. This multi-scale approach will allow us to model fluid flow as a continuum, but impose its effect on the discrete atoms of the membrane lipids and proteins. As a result, the length of the simulation will be extended to allow investigation of long-range motion and order. It is expect this research to make a significant contribution in molecular dynamics modeling and membrane biology. The computational portion of this project contains several problems that are well suited to the abilities of undergraduates. The educational component of this proposal will be to involve undergraduates in long-term multidisciplinary research. Undergraduate research and extracurricular work have both been shown to have a positive impact on undergraduate development.