Publications
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Articles in scientific journals
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Books
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Theses
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1. Articles in scientific journals
 | Conformational Space of the Translocation Domain of Botulinum Toxin: Atomistic Modeling and Mesoscopic
Description of the Coiled-Coil Helix Bundle
Alexandre Delort, Grazia Cottone, Thérèse E. Malliavin, Martin Michael Müller |
Abstract
Int. J. Mol. Sci., 25: 2481, 2024.
 | Flexoelectric fluid membrane vesicles in spherical confinement
Niloufar Abtahi, Lila Bouzar, Nadia Saidi-Amroun, Martin Michael Müller |
The morphology of spherically confined flexoelectric fluid membrane vesicles in an ex-
ternal uniform electric field is studied numerically. Due to the deformations induced by
the confinement, the membrane becomes polarized resulting in an interaction with the
external field. The equilibrium shapes of the vesicle without electric field can be clas-
sified in a geometrical phase diagram as a function of scaled area and reduced volume
[1, 2]. When the area of the membrane is only slightly larger than the area of the con-
fining sphere, a single axisymmetric invagination appears. A non-vanishing electric field
induces an additional elongation of the confined vesicle which is either perpendicular or
parallel depending on the sign of the electric field parameter. Higher values of the surface
area or the electric field parameter can reduce the symmetry of the system leading to
more complex folding. We present the resulting shapes and show that transition lines
are shifted in the presence of an electric field. The obtained folding patterns could be of
interest for biophysical and technological applications alike.
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EPL, 131(1): 18001, 2020. See also arXiv:2006.04475.
 | Isometric bending requires local constraints on free edges
Jemal Guven, Martin Michael Müller, Pablo Vázquez-Montejo |
Math. Mech. Solids, 24: 4051, 2019. See also arXiv:1904.05855.
 | Helical Superstructure of Intermediate Filaments
Lila Bouzar, Martin Michael Müller, René Messina, Bernd Nöding, Sarah Köster, Hervé Mohrbach, Igor M. Kulić |
Intermediate filaments are the least explored among the large cytoskeletal elements.
We show here that they display conformational anomalies in narrow microfluidic channels.
Their unusual behavior can be understood as the consequence of a previously undetected, large scale
helically curved superstructure. Confinement in a channel orders the otherwise soft, strongly
fluctuating helical filaments and enhances their structural correlations, giving rise to experimentally
detectable, strongly oscillating tangent correlation functions. We propose an explanation for the detected
intrinsic curving phenomenon - an elastic shape instability that we call autocoiling. The mechanism
involves self-induced filament buckling via a surface stress located at the outside of the
cross-section. The results agree with ultrastructural findings and rationalize for the commonly observed
looped intermediate filament shapes. Beyond curvature, explaining the molecular origin of the detected helical
torsion remains an interesting challenge.
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Phys. Rev. Lett., 122: 098101, 2019. See also arXiv:1803.04691.
 | Vesicle dynamics in confined steady and harmonically modulated Poiseuille flows
Zakaria Boujja, Chaouqi Misbah, Hamid Ez-Zahraouy, Abdelilah Benyoussef, Thomas John, Christian Wagner, Martin Michael Müller |
Abstract
Phys. Rev. E, 98: 043111, 2018. See also arXiv:1810.04500.
 | Confining a fluid membrane vesicle of toroidal topology in an adhesive hard sphere
Lila Bouzar, Ferhat Menas, Martin Michael Müller |
Abstract
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IOP Conf. Series: MSE, 186: 012021, 2017.
 | Squeezed helical elastica
Lila Bouzar, Martin Michael Müller, Pierre Gosselin, Igor M. Kulić, Hervé Mohrbach |
Abstract
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Eur. Phys. J. E, 39: 114, 2016. See also arXiv:1606.03611.
 | How bio-filaments twist membranes
Julien Fierling, Albert Johner, Igor M. Kulić, Hervé Mohrbach, Martin Michael Müller |
Abstract
Soft Matter, 12: 5747, 2016.
 | Toroidal membrane vesicles in spherical confinement
Lila Bouzar, Ferhat Menas, Martin Michael Müller |
We investigate the morphology of a toroidal fluid membrane vesicle confined inside a spherical container.
The equilibrium shapes are assembled in a geometrical phase diagram as a function of scaled area and
reduced volume of the membrane. For small area the vesicle can adopt its free form. When increasing
the area, the membrane cannot avoid contact and touches the confining sphere along a circular contact line,
which extends to a zone of contact for higher area. The elastic energies of the equilibrium shapes are
compared to those of their confined counterparts of spherical topology to predict under which conditions a
topology change is favored energetically.
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Phys. Rev. E, 92: 032721, 2015. See also arXiv:1509.00765.
 | Non-linear buckling and symmetry breaking of a soft elastic sheet sliding on a cylindrical substrate
Norbert Stoop, Martin Michael Müller |
Abstract
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Int. J. Non-Linear Mech., 75: 115, 2015. See also arXiv:1503.05030.
 | Crunching Biofilament Rings
Julien Fierling, Martin Michael Müller, Hervé Mohrbach, Albert Johner, Igor M. Kulić |
Abstract
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Europhys. Lett., 107(6): 68002, 2014. See also arXiv:1408.6787.
 | Confotronic dynamics of tubular filaments
Osman Kahraman, Hervé Mohrbach, Martin Michael Müller, Igor M. Kulić |
Abstract
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Soft Matter, 10(16): pp. 2836-2847, 2014. See also arXiv:1312.3106.
 | Whirling skirts and rotating cones
Jemal Guven, J. A. Hanna, Martin Michael Müller |
Abstract
New J. Phys., 15: 113055, 2013. See also arXiv:1306.2619.
 | Myotubularin and PtdIns3P remodel the sarcoplasmic reticulum in muscle in vivo
Leonela Amoasii, Karim Hnia, Gaëtan Chicanne, Andreas Brech, Belinda Simone Cowling, Martin Michael Müller, Yannick Schwab, Pascale Koebel, Arnaud Ferry, Bernard Payrastre, Jocelyn Laporte |
Abstract
J. Cell Sci., 126(8): 1806, 2013.
 | Dipoles in thin sheets
Jemal Guven, J. A. Hanna, Osman Kahraman, Martin Michael Müller |
Abstract
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Eur. Phys. J. E, 36: 106, 2013. See also arXiv:1212.3262.
 | Fluid membrane vesicles in confinement
Osman Kahraman, Norbert Stoop, Martin Michael Müller |
Abstract
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New J. Phys., 14: 095021, 2012.
 | Petal shapes of sympetaleous flowers: the interplay between growth, geometry and elasticity
Martine Ben Amar, Martin Michael Müller, Miguel Trejo |
The growth of a thin elastic sheet imposes constraints on its geometry such as its Gaussian curvature KG.
In this paper, we construct the shapes of sympetalous bell-shaped flowers with a constant Gaussian curvature. Minimizing the bending energies
of both the petal and the veins, we are able to predict quantitatively the global shape of these flowers. We discuss two toy problems
where the Gaussian curvature is either negative or positive. In the former case the axisymmetric pseudosphere turns out to mimic the correct
shape before edge curling; in the latter case, singularities of the mathematical surface coincide with strong veins. Using a variational
minimization of the elastic energy, we find that the optimal number for the veins is either four, five or six, a number which is deceptively
close to the statistics on real flowers in nature.
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New J. Phys., 14: 085014, 2012. Also featured in the Highlights of 2012.
 | Morphogenesis of membrane invaginations in spherical confinement
Osman Kahraman, Norbert Stoop, Martin Michael Müller |
Abstract
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Europhys. Lett., 97(6): 68008, 2012. See also arXiv:1201.2518.
 | Conical instabilities on paper
Jemal Guven, Martin Michael Müller, Pablo Vázquez-Montejo |
The stability of the fundamental defects of an unstretchable flat sheet is examined.
This involves expanding the bending energy to second order in deformations about the
defect. The modes of deformation occur as eigenstates of a fourth-order linear differential
operator. Unstretchability places a global linear constraint on these modes. Conical
defects with a surplus angle exhibit an infinite number of states. If this angle is below a
critical value, these states possess an n-fold symmetry labeled by an integer, n ≥ 2. A
nonlinear stability analysis shows that the 2-fold ground state is stable, whereas excited
states possess 2(n - 2) unstable modes which come in even and odd pairs.
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J. Phys. A: Math. Theor., 45(1): 015203, 2012. See also arXiv:1107.5008.
 | Interface-mediated interactions: Entropic forces of curved membranes
Pierre Gosselin, Hervé Mohrbach, Martin Michael Müller |
Particles embedded in a fluctuating interface experience forces and torques
mediated by the deformations and by the thermal fluctuations of the medium.
Considering a system of two cylinders bound to a fluid membrane we show that
the entropic contribution enhances the curvature-mediated repulsion between
the two cylinders. This is contrary to the usual attractive Casimir force in
the absence of curvature-mediated interactions. For a large distance between
the cylinders, we retrieve the renormalization of the surface tension of a
flat membrane due to thermal fluctuations.
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Phys. Rev. E, 83(5): 051921, 2011. See also arXiv:1011.1221.
 | Self-Contact and Instabilities in the Anisotropic Growth of Elastic Membranes
Norbert Stoop, Falk K. Wittel, Martine Ben Amar, Martin Michael Müller, Hans J. Herrmann |
We investigate the morphology of thin discs and rings growing in circumferential direction. Recent analytical results suggest that this growth produces symmetric excess cones (e-cones). We study the stability of such solutions considering self-contact and bending stress. We show that, contrary to what was assumed in previous analytical solutions, beyond a critical growth factor, no symmetric e-cone solution is energetically minimal any more. Instead, we obtain skewed e-cone solutions having lower energy, characterized by a skewness angle and repetitive spiral winding with increasing growth. These results are generalized to discs with varying thickness and rings with holes of different radii.
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Phys. Rev. Lett., 105(6): 068101, 2010. See also arXiv:1007.1871.
 | Cell Model Approach to Membrane Mediated Protein Interactions
Martin Michael Müller, Markus Deserno |
Abstract
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Prog. Theor. Phys. Suppl., 184: pp. 351-363, 2010.
 | Hamiltonian formulation of surfaces with constant Gaussian curvature
Miguel Trejo, Martine Ben Amar, Martin Michael Müller |
Abstract
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J. Phys. A: Math. Theor., 42(42): 425204, 2009.
 | Local Membrane Mechanics of Pore-Spanning Bilayers
Ingo Mey, Milena Stephan, Eva K. Schmitt, Martin Michael Müller, Martine Ben Amar, Claudia Steinem, Andreas Janshoff |
The mechanical behavior of lipid bilayers spanning the pores of highly ordered porous silicon substrates was studied by local indentation experiments as a function of surface functionalization, lipid composition, solvent content, indentation velocity, and pore radius. Solvent-containing nanoblack lipid membranes (nano-BLMs) as well as solvent-free pore-spanning bilayers were imaged by fluorescence and atomic force microscopy prior to force curve acquisition, which allows distinguishing between membrane-covered and uncovered pores. Force indentation curves on pore-spanning bilayers attached to functionalized hydrophobic porous silicon substrates reveal a predominately linear response that is mainly attributed to prestress in the membranes. This is in agreement with the observation that indentation leads to membrane lysis well below 5% area dilatation. However, membrane bending and lateral tension dominates over
prestress and stretching if solvent-free supported membranes obtained from spreading giant liposomes on hydrophilic porous silicon are indented.
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J. Am. Chem. Soc., 131(20): pp. 7031-7039, 2009.
 | Elasticity Mapping of Pore-Suspending Native Cell Membranes
Bärbel Lorenz, Ingo Mey, Siegfried Steltenkamp, Tamir Fine, Christina Rommel, Martin Michael Müller, Alexander Maiwald, Joachim Wegener, Claudia Steinem, Andreas Janshoff |
Abstract
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Small, 5(7): pp. 832-838, 2009.
 | Conical Defects in Growing Sheets
Martin Michael Müller, Martine Ben Amar, Jemal Guven |
Abstract
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Phys. Rev. Lett., 101(15): 156104, 2008. See also arXiv:0807.1814.
 | How paper folds: bending with local constraints
Jemal Guven, Martin Michael Müller |
Abstract
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J. Phys. A: Math. Theor., 41(5): 055203, 2008. See also arXiv:0712.0978.
 | Contact lines for fluid surface adhesion
Markus Deserno, Martin Michael Müller, Jemal Guven |
Abstract
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Phys. Rev. E, 76(1): 011605, 2007. See also cond-mat/0703019.
Also featured in the Virtual Journal of Biological Physics Research.
 | Balancing torques in membrane-mediated interactions: Exact results and
numerical illustrations
Martin Michael Müller, Markus Deserno, Jemal Guven |
Abstract
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Phys. Rev. E, 76(1): 011921, 2007. See also cond-mat/0702340.
Also featured in the Virtual Journal of Biological Physics Research.
 | Aggregation and vesiculation of membrane proteins by curvature-mediated
interactions
Benedict J. Reynwar, Gregoria Illya, Vagelis A. Harmandaris, Martin Michael Müller, Kurt Kremer, Markus Deserno |
Abstract
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Nature 447(7143): pp. 461-464, 2007.
 | How to determine local elastic properties of lipid bilayer membranes
from atomic-force-microscope measurements: A theoretical analysis
Davood Norouzi, Martin Michael Müller, Markus Deserno |
Abstract
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Phys. Rev. E, 74(6): 061914, 2006. See also cond-mat/0602662.
Also featured in the Virtual Journal of Biological Physics Research.
 | Mechanical Properties of Pore-Spanning Lipid Bilayers Probed by Atomic Force Microscopy
Siegfried Steltenkamp, Martin Michael Müller, Markus Deserno, Christian Hennesthal, Claudia Steinem, Andreas Janshoff |
Abstract
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Biophys. J., 91(1): pp. 217-226, 2006.
 | Interface mediated interactions between particles -- a geometrical approach
Martin Michael Müller, Markus Deserno, Jemal Guven |
Particles bound to an interface interact because they deform its shape.
The stresses that result are fully encoded in the geometry and described
by a divergence-free surface stress tensor. This stress tensor can be
used to express the force on a particle as a line integral along any
conveniently chosen closed contour that surrounds the particle. The
resulting expression is exact (i.e., free of any 'smallness' assumptions)
and independent of the chosen surface parametrization. Additional surface
degrees of freedom, such as vector fields describing lipid tilt, are readily
included in this formalism. As an illustration, we derive the exact force
for several important surface Hamiltonians in various symmetric two-particle
configurations in terms of the midplane geometry; its sign is evident in
certain interesting limits. Specializing to the linear regime, where the
shape can be analytically determined, these general expressions yield
force-distance relations, several of which have originally been derived
by using an energy based approach.
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Phys. Rev. E, 72(6): 061407, 2005. See also cond-mat/0506019.
Also featured in the Virtual Journal of Biological Physics Research.
 | Geometry of surface-mediated interactions
Martin Michael Müller, Markus Deserno, Jemal Guven |
Soft interfaces can mediate interactions between particles bound to
them. The force transmitted through the surface geometry on a
particle may be expressed as a closed line integral of the surface
stress tensor around that particle. This contour may be deformed to
exploit the symmetries present; for two identical particles, one
obtains an exact expression for the force between them in terms of
the local surface geometry of their mid-plane; in the case of a
fluid membrane the sign of the interaction is often evident. The
approach, by construction, is adapted directly to the surface and is
independent of its parameterization. Furthermore, it is applicable
for arbitrarily large deformations; in particular, it remains valid
beyond the linear small-gradient regime.
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Europhys. Lett., 69(3): pp. 482-488, 2005. See also cond-mat/0409043.
2. Books
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New Trends in the Physics and Mechanics of Biological Systems
Lecture Notes of the Les Houches Summer School, vol. 92 (Oxford University Press, 2011),
edited by Martine Ben Amar, Alain Goriely, Martin Michael Müller and Leticia Cugliandolo.
Chapter 9:
The physics of the cell membrane
Martin Michael Müller and Martine Ben Amar.
3. Theses
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Theoretical examinations of interface mediated interactions between colloidal particles,
diploma thesis (2004).
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Theoretical studies of fluid membrane mechanics, dissertation (2007).
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Symmetry breaking in bioelasticity, habilitation thesis (2015).
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