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Fig. 4. | BMC Biology

Fig. 4.

From: Changes in ESCRT-III filament geometry drive membrane remodelling and fission in silico

Fig. 4.

Repetitive filament transitions can sever membranes. a A filament is polymerised around a cargo (magenta sphere) that weakly binds to the dark receptors in the membrane but cannot bud off on its own. Switching from a flat (R=14.1 nm, τ=0) to a tilted state (R=14.1 nm, τ=60) causes the membrane deformation. Switching back from the tilted to the flat state causes cargo budding where the filament is released back to the cytoplasm. b The repetitive filament geometry changes also drive membrane scission in the case where the cargo has already created a substantial membrane deformation on its own, achieved by using a higher density of membrane receptors. Here the filament change from flat to helical enables the filament to enter the membrane neck and deepen it, while the opposite geometry change again performs the scission. The filament parameters and simulation protocol are the same as in a. c Target geometries of the flat and tilted states

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