Energy Transport and Its Function in Heptahelical Transmembrane Proteins.

Photoproteins such as bacteriorhodopsin (bR) and rhodopsin (Rho) need to effectively dissipate photoinduced excess energy to prevent themselves from damage. Another well-studied seven transmembrane (TM) helices protein is the β adrenergic receptor (βAR), a G protein-coupled receptor for which energy dissipation paths have been linked with allosteric communication. To study the vibrational energy transport in the active and inactive states of these proteins, a master equation approach [, , 045103] is employed, which uses scaling rules that allow us to calculate energy transport rates solely based on the protein structure.

Colloidal membranes of chiral rod-like particles.

We study colloidal (or smectic) membranes composed of chiral rod-like particles through Monte Carlo simulations. These objects are formed due to the presence of Asakura-Oosawa spheres acting as depletants and creating an effective attraction between the rods. The membranes' shape and structure can be influenced by several parameters, the number of spheres and rods, their length and their interaction.