SYMMETRY IN THE MECHANICS AND GEOMETRY OF BIOMEMBRANE NANOTUBE NETWORKS

This paper reviews the new developments inexperiments of biomembrane nanotubes, focusing on the problems of symmetryand topological invariability in biomembrane nanotube networks at (stable)equilibriums. Two origins for the symmetric topology of biomembrane nanotubenetworks at (stable) equilibriums are disclosed: One is the symmetricintegral theorems in differential geometry, and another is the stationaryenergy principle and Steiner (minimal) tree. The importance and applicationsof the (stable) equilibrium law for biomembrane nanotube networks arediscussed.