Ion-channel-like behavior in lipid bilayer membranes at the melting transition

Abstract

It is well known that at the gel-liquid phase transition temperature a lipid bilayer membrane exhibits an increased ion permeability. We analyze the quantized currents in which the increased permeability presents itself. The open time histogram shows a "-3/2" power law which implies an open-closed transition rate that decreases like $k(t)\propto t^{-1}$ as time evolves. We propose a "pore freezing" model to explain the observations. We discuss how this model also leads to the $1/f^{\alpha }$ noise that is commonly observed in currents across biological and artificial membranes.

arXiv comment5 pages, 4 figures

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Cited by in corpus (6)

• Lipid Ion Channels
• Voltage-gated lipid ion channels
• Comparing ion conductance recordings of synthetic lipid bilayers with cell membranes containing TRP channels
• Phase transitions in biological membranes
• Fluctuations of systems in finite heat reservoirs with applications to phase transitions in lipid membranes
• Liquid general anesthetics lower critical temperatures in plasma membrane vesicles