| Budget Amount *help |
¥19,110,000 (Direct Cost: ¥14,700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥4,410,000)
Fiscal Year 2014: ¥4,550,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,050,000)
Fiscal Year 2013: ¥4,810,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,110,000)
Fiscal Year 2012: ¥4,550,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,050,000)
Fiscal Year 2011: ¥5,200,000 (Direct Cost: ¥4,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,200,000)
|
|---|
| Outline of Final Research Achievements |
In order to understand the molecular mechanism in the membrane fusion process, a series of molecular dynamics simulation of membrane systems including vesicles has been conducted using a newly developed (semi)-quantitative coarse-grained molecular model on the basis of all-atom molecular dynamics trajectories. Interaction between curved membranes such as vesicles and fusion process has been investigated in terms of free energy analysis. Effects of lipid components and the presence of the peptides have been analyzed in the free energy calculations. New methods to accurately evaluate the line tension and curvature moduli of membranes have been also developed. The calculated physical constants were used to compare a simple continuum model and molecular dynamics for the free energy barriers of membrane fusion, which elucidated that the elastic energy contribution explains the fusion energy barrier only qualitatively.
|
