On 20.8.2024., Dr Rumiana Dimova visited RBI to meet with Dr Bakarić as a part of the German-Croatian bilateral project "The impact of myelin basic protein on the phase state, morphology and membrane structure" (DAAD-MZO). Dr Dimova also held a lecture titled "Membrane remodeling in artificial cells: When a membrane meets a drop".

Lecture abstract:

Cell membranes exhibit a large variation in curvature. While it is commonly perceived that this curvature is primarily driven by specific protein activities, our studies demonstrate that various other asymmetries across the membrane can readily generate membrane curvature. These asymmetries likely play an important role in defining the shapes of membrane organelles. As a workbench for artificial cells, we employ giant unilamellar vesicles (10-100 μm) 1, which serve as a fascinating model system, illustrating the membrane's response at the cell-size scale, see Figure. In this talk, we will first introduce approaches using giant vesicles for the precise quantification of membrane spontaneous curvature. We will provide examples where curvature is induced by the asymmetric distribution of ions across the membrane and by the insertion or adsorption of molecules,
as reviewed in 2 . Following this, we will explore the process of membrane wetting by droplets in a molecularly crowded environment3 . We will show that wetting by biomolecular condensates can dramatically mold the membrane4 while modulating lipid organization 5, undergo endocytosis6, and even patch pores in damaged membranes7 . These examples demonstrate that even without scaffolding proteins or active processes, simple physicochemical factors can readily remodel the membrane.