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Nanoporous surfaces are used in many applications in intracellular sensing and drug delivery. However, the effects of such nanostructures on cell membrane properties are still far from understood. Here, we use coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations to show that nanoporous substrates can stimulate membrane-curvature effects and that this curvature-sensing effect is much more sensitive than previously thought. We define a series of design parameters for inducing a nanoscale membrane curvature and show that nanopore taper plays a key role in membrane deformation, elucidating a previously unexplored fabrication parameter applicable to many nanostructured biomaterials. We report significant changes in the membrane area per lipid and thickness at regions of curvature. Finally, we demonstrate that regions of the nanopore-induced membrane curvature act as local hotspots for an increased bioactivity. We show spontaneous binding and localization of the epsin N-terminal homology (ENTH) domain to the regions of curvature. Understanding this interplay between the membrane curvature and nanoporosity at the biointerface helps both explain recent biological results and suggests a pathway for developing the next generation of cell-active substrates.

Original publication

DOI

10.1021/acs.nanolett.9b01990

Type

Journal article

Journal

Nano Lett

Publication Date

10/07/2019

Volume

19

Pages

4770 - 4778

Keywords

Molecular dynamics, bionanointerface, cell membrane, coarse-grained modeling, membrane curvature, nanoporosity, Adaptor Proteins, Vesicular Transport, Cell Membrane, Lipid Bilayers, Molecular Dynamics Simulation, Nanopores