The influence of lipid composition on mechano-structural properties of cellular membranes: studies through Molecular Dynamics

Lipid membranes are ubiquitous biochemical structures, crucial for the correct functioning of cells. As their name implies, lipids are a major constituent, of which several thousand types exist in nature. This gives rise to a wide variety of membranes, and this inherent variability can be exploited...

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Detalhes bibliográficos
Autor: Blanco González, Alexandre
Formato: tesis doctoral
Fecha de publicación:2024
País:España
Recursos:Universidad de Santiago de Compostela (USC)
Repositorio:Minerva. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Santiago de Compostela
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:minerva.usc.gal:10347/39599
Acesso em linha:https://hdl.handle.net/10347/39599
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palavra-chave:Lipid membranes
Simulation
Molecular Dynamics
Mechanical properties
220608 Estructura molecular
230218 Lípidos
Descrição
Resumo:Lipid membranes are ubiquitous biochemical structures, crucial for the correct functioning of cells. As their name implies, lipids are a major constituent, of which several thousand types exist in nature. This gives rise to a wide variety of membranes, and this inherent variability can be exploited to design specific and targetted therapies. Therefore, a detailed understanding of the behaviour of these cellular structures at the molecular level is of paramount importance. In this Thesis, we leverage the power of computational techniques, particularly of Molecular Dynamics, to study technical aspects such as the impact of simulation parameters on their outcome; as well as inherent phenomena to the membranes like their structural self-organisation and their responses to mechanical stimuli derived from ultrasounds.