Figure 6.

Proposed model for the mechanism of domain collapse. A compressive, electrostatic force is exerted on the CL-containing membrane by the cyt c molecules. The positively charged cyt c resides within the undulations of the thermal fluctuations of the negatively charged membrane, attracting nearby portions of membrane towards one another. This causes compression of the membrane ripples, increasing the curvature stress in the membrane. This stress is released by formation of a single localized fold in the membrane. Compare the beading of the membrane that we observe with reports of a ripple to fold transition during the compression of thin films.³⁵