Cooperative Gating and Spatial Organization of Membrane Proteins through Elastic Interactions
Figure 2
Elastic Potentials between two MscL Proteins
To minimize deformation energy, two transmembrane proteins exert elastic forces on each other. MscL has three distinct interaction potentials between its two distinct conformations. External tension weakens the interaction between two open channels (Voo) and strengthens the interaction between two closed channels (Vcc), but has almost no effect on the interaction between an open and closed channel (Voc). The open–open and closed–closed interactions are both more strongly attracting than the open–closed interaction, indicating that elastic potentials favor interactions between channels in the same state. The “hard core” distance is where the proteins' edges are in contact.