Stability of a biomembrane tube covered with proteins

Abstract

Membrane tubes are essential structural features in cells that help facilitate biomaterial transport and inter- and intracellular signalling. The shape of these tubes can be regulated by the proteins that surround and adhere to them. We study here the stability of a biomembrane tube coated with proteins by combining linear stability analysis and numerical solutions of a Helfrich-like membrane model. Our analysis demonstrates that both long and short wavelength perturbations can destabilise the tubes. Numerical simulations confirm the derived linear stability criteria and also yield the nonlinearly-perturbed vesicle shapes. Our analysis highlights the interplay between the membrane shape and the protein density, where the shape instability concurs with a redistribution of proteins into a banded pattern.