1 research outputs found
Carbon Nanotubes Mediate Fusion of Lipid Vesicles
The
fusion of lipid membranes is opposed by high energetic barriers.
In living organisms, complex protein machineries carry out this biologically
essential process. Here we show that membrane-spanning carbon nanotubes
(CNTs) can trigger spontaneous fusion of small lipid vesicles. In
coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations, we find that a CNT
bridging between two vesicles locally perturbs their lipid structure.
Their outer leaflets merge as the CNT pulls lipids out of the membranes,
creating an hourglass-shaped fusion intermediate with still intact
inner leaflets. As the CNT moves away from the symmetry axis connecting
the vesicle centers, the inner leaflets merge, forming a pore that
completes fusion. The distinct mechanism of CNT-mediated membrane
fusion may be transferable, providing guidance in the development
of fusion agents, <i>e.g.</i>, for the targeted delivery
of drugs or nucleic acids