Fluctuating Lipid Bilayer Membranes With Diffusing Protein Inclusions: Hybrid Continuum-Particle Model

Many proteins through their geometry and specific interactions with lipids induce changes in local membrane material properties. This can manifest in local stiffness variations and locally induced curvatures that track protein location. To study such phenomena we introduce a new hybrid continuum-particle description for the membrane-protein system that incorporates protein interactions, hydrodynamic coupling, and thermal fluctuations. We investigate how protein curvature and membrane stiffness influences protein diffusion. We discuss how collective protein effects influence membrane mechanical properties, such as the spectrum of membrane bending fluctuations and the effective elastic bending modulus of the heterogeneous protein-lipid membrane. Finally, we discuss possible roles of the membrane fluctuations influencing the distribution of proteins within the membrane.