New scaling laws of polymer–lipid membrane interactions

What is it about?

Biopolymer adsorption and diffusion on cell membranes are vital for cellular processes such as signal transduction and disease development, including Alzheimer’s. However, the impact of membrane heterogeneity and fluid hydrodynamics on polymer dynamics remains poorly understood. We find that nanosized polymers adsorbed onto binary lipid membranes induce the in-situ formation of single lipid rafts, which impose dynamic constraints on the polymers. This leads to an unusual scaling law for polymer interfacial diffusion. We also identify two diffusive modes for polymer adsorbates on lipid membranes: Saffman–Delbrück-type and Stokes–Einstein-like, revealing their potential as biosensors for membrane heterogeneity.

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Why is it important?

Understanding the dynamics of macromolecules adsorbed from extracellular fluids onto cell membranes is crucial for elucidating basic cellular processes and advancing applications in biotechnology, such as biosensing, therapeutics, and synthetic biology. However, this is complicated by the interplay between membrane heterogeneity, macromolecule conformation, and fluid hydrodynamics. Our study provides insights into polymer dynamics on biological membranes and suggests that polymer adsorbates can modulate lipid rafts, influencing raft-related cellular processes.

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