Theoretically Reproducing Experimentally Drawn Phase Diagrams Of Dopc-Psm-Cholesterol

Jacqueline Tobin

School Name

Governor's School for Science and Math

Grade Level

12th Grade

Presentation Topic

Biochemistry

Presentation Type

Mentored

Mentor

Mentor: Dr. Uline; Department of Chemical Engineering, University of South Carolina

Abstract

In our research we recreated an experimentally drawn phase diagram of the cell membrane components DOPC-PSM-Cholesterol using the Putzel and Schick mathematical model. We used data from an experiment completed by Sarah Keller and Sarah Veatch at the University of Michigan to help form our model diagram. We created a simpler ternary diagram of this phase separation and determined if there was a relation between the shape formation of the ternary phase diagram and the presence of the three components in the membrane. We found that the mathematical model created accurately represented the experiment’s graph. The model created a similarly shaped closed phase boundary. This indicates that the lipid rafts may form due to phase separation. We need to reevaluate the thermodynamic consistency in further models.

Location

Owens 203

Start Date

4-16-2016 11:45 AM

COinS
 
Apr 16th, 11:45 AM

Theoretically Reproducing Experimentally Drawn Phase Diagrams Of Dopc-Psm-Cholesterol

Owens 203

In our research we recreated an experimentally drawn phase diagram of the cell membrane components DOPC-PSM-Cholesterol using the Putzel and Schick mathematical model. We used data from an experiment completed by Sarah Keller and Sarah Veatch at the University of Michigan to help form our model diagram. We created a simpler ternary diagram of this phase separation and determined if there was a relation between the shape formation of the ternary phase diagram and the presence of the three components in the membrane. We found that the mathematical model created accurately represented the experiment’s graph. The model created a similarly shaped closed phase boundary. This indicates that the lipid rafts may form due to phase separation. We need to reevaluate the thermodynamic consistency in further models.