Figure 6.

Dependence of membrane elastic energy on the orientation angles of two pulled peptide trimers, whose vertical positions are fixed at (a) ΔH = 0; (b) ΔH = 1 nm; (c) ΔH = 2 nm. The minima of the elastic energy (marked by the red circle) are at (a) θ₁ = θ₂ = π/2 for ΔH = 0; (b) θ₁ = 2π/3, θ₂ = π/3 for ΔH = 1 nm; (c) θ₁ = 11π/12, θ₂ = π/12 for ΔH = 2 nm. The minima shifts toward the symmetric configuration of θ₁ = π, θ₂ = 0 as ΔH increases.