Stability of a biomembrane tube covered with proteins

Abstract

Membrane tubes are essential structural features in cells that 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 the stability of a biomembrane tube coated with proteins by combining linear stability analysis, out-of-equilibrium hydrodynamic calculations, 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 yield the nonlinearly-perturbed vesicle shapes. Our study highlights the interplay between membrane shape and protein density, where the shape instability concurs with a redistribution of proteins into a banded pattern.