Computational Studies of Nanodiamond-Membrane Association and Membrane Inserted Fluorescent Probe

• Other Authors: Yin, Hang (author.)
• Format: Others
• Language: English; Chinese
• Published: 2016
• Online Access: http://repository.lib.cuhk.edu.hk/en/item/cuhk-1292340

对于生物物理研究而言，探究细胞膜本身的性质以及与之相关的生物动力学特性一直是一个非常重要的课题。本论文将会涉及两个有关细胞膜的研究：其一，结合自由能计算和连续体模型的研究方法，我们探讨了作为细胞跨膜运输主要机制的胞吞作用。在这项研究中，我们主要关注纳米金刚石与细胞膜的相互作用，建立了纳米金刚石表明曲率、粘附强度以及膜卷曲能量之间的相互关系；其二，我们分析并比较了两种电压敏感染色剂分子的构象。电压敏感染色剂分子在细胞膜中的构象会影响它测量电压的敏感程度。为了提高这种电压敏感分子的测量水平，我们定义了不同角度来描述两种具不同分子结构的染色剂分子在磷脂双分子膜中的构象，并说明了对称的分子结构对于提升跨膜电压探针分子在细胞膜中灵敏度的重要性。 === Investigation of the structural properties and relevant biological dynamics of a membrane has always been an important topic of biophysical studies. In this thesis, two membrane related topics are discussed. First, endocytosis, a major cellular transport mechanism involving deformation of membrane, is investigated via a free energy calculation combined with continuum modeling. Through the studies focused on nanodiamond-membrane association, the relationship between nanodiamond curvature, adhesion strength and energetic cost of membrane wrapping is investigated. Second, the orientations of two kinds of voltage-sensitive dyes is analyzed and compared. Their voltage sensitivity can be altered by the orientation of the molecule inside the lipid bilayer. To improve the measuring quality of voltage-sensitive dyes, the orientation of two dyes with different molecular geometries embedded in lipid membrane was examined by various angle analysis, which demonstrates the importance of symmetric geometry for the sensitivity of voltage probes inserted in a membrane. === Yin, Hang. === Thesis M.Phil. Chinese University of Hong Kong 2016. === Includes bibliographical references (leaves ). === Abstracts also in Chinese. === Title from PDF title page (viewed on …). === Detailed summary in vernacular field only.