Size-dependent recycling of membrane clusters

The role of recycling in the control of membrane domains is a contentious issue and currently an open research question. In this context, we study the coarsening of strongly microphase-separated membrane domains in the presence of recycling of material. The dynamics of cluster size distribution is studied under both scale-free and size-dependent recycling. Closed-form solutions to the steady-state distribution and its associated moments are found in both cases. For the size-independent case, the time evolution of the moments is analytically obtained, providing exact results for their corresponding relaxation times. Since these moments and relaxation times are measurable quantities that may be determined by comparison with experimental data, our results provide a framework with which to understand and assess the interplay between membrane recycling and domain formation. Copyright (C) EPLA, 2018