Fusion pathways of vesicles: A Brownian dynamics simulation

We studied the fusion dynamics of vesicles using a Brownian dynamics simulation. Amphiphilic molecules spontaneously form vesicles with a bilayer structure. Two vesicles come into contact and form a stalk intermediate, in which a necklike structure only connects the outer monolayers, as predicted by the stalk hypothesis. We have found a new pathway of pore opening from stalks at high temperature: the elliptic stalk bends and contact between the ends of the arc-shaped stalk leads to pore opening. On the other hand, we have clarified that the pore-opening process at low temperature agrees with the modified stalk model: a pore is induced by contact between the inner monolayers inside the stalk. (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics.