Protein over-expression induces the elongation of cell membrane nanodomains.

In cell membranes, lipids and proteins are organized into sub-micrometric nanodomains of varying size, shape and composition, performing specific functions. Despite their biological importance, the detailed morphology of these nanodomains remains unknown. Not only can they hardly be observed by conventional microscopy due to their small size, but there is also a lack of models to describe their structuring. Here, we use a combination of analytical calculations and Monte Carlo simulations to show that increasing protein concentration leads to an elongation of membrane nanodomains. The results are corroborated by Single Particle Tracking measurements on HIV receptors, whose level of expression in the membrane of living cells can be tuned. These findings highlight that protein abundance modulates nanodomain shape and potentially their biological function. Beyond biomembranes, this meso-patterning mechanism is of relevance in several soft-matter systems because it relies on generic physical arguments.