Statistical mechanics of membrane protein conformation: A homopolymer model

Abstract

The conformation and the phase diagram of a membrane protein are investigated via grand canonical ensemble approach using a homopolymer model. We discuss the nature and pathways of alpha-helix integration into the membrane that result depending upon membrane permeability and polymer adsorptivity. For a membrane with the permeability larger than a critical value, the integration becomes the second order transition that occurs at the same temperature as that of the adsorption transition. For a nonadsorbing membrane, the integration is of the first order due to the aggregation of alpha helices.