Journal of Chemical Physics, Vol.116, No.23, 10478-10484, 2002
Molecular theory of hydrophobic mismatch between lipids and peptides
Effects of the mismatch between the hydrophobic length d, of transmembrane alpha helices of integral proteins and the hydrophobic thickness, D-h, of the membranes they span are studied theoretically utilizing a microscopic model of lipids. In particular, we examine the dependence of the period of a lamellar phase on the hydrophobic length and volume fraction of a rigid, integral, peptide. We find that the period decreases when a short peptide, such that dD-h, is inserted. The effect is due to the replacement of extensible lipid tails by rigid peptide. As the peptide length is increased, the lamellar period continues to increase, but at a slower rate, and can eventually decrease. The amount of peptide which fails to incorporate and span the membrane increases with the magnitude of the hydrophobic mismatch \d-D-h\. We explicate these behaviors which are all in accord with experiment. Predictions are made for the dependence of the tilt of a single trans-membrane alpha helix on hydrophobic mismatch and helix density.