Entropy-driven aggregation in multilamellar membranes

Membrane-fluctuation-induced attraction between ligand-receptor sites binding neighboring membranes is studied using meshless membrane simulations and the Weil-Farago two-dimensional (2D) lattice model. For the adhesion sites binding two membranes, this entropic interaction is too weak by itself for the adhesion sites to form a large stable domain. However, it is found that this attraction is enhanced sufficiently to induce large domains either when the sites bind three or more neighboring membranes together or have anchors that harden surrounding membranes. These effects are understood by the 2D lattice model with minor extensions. Copyright (c) EPLA, 2013