  In this work, we develop a two-component coarse-grained molecular dynamics
(CGMD) model for simulating the erythrocyte membrane. This proposed model
possesses the key feature of combing the lipid bilayer and the erythrocyte
cytoskeleton, thus showing both the fluidic behavior of the lipid bilayer and
elastic properties of the erythrocyte cytoskeleton. The proposed model
facilitates simulations that span large length-scales (~ micrometer) and
time-scales (~ ms). By tuning the interaction potential parameters, diffusivity
and bending rigidity of the membrane model can be controlled. In the study of
the membrane under shearing, we find that in low shear strain rate, the
developed shear stress is mainly due to the spectrin network, while the
viscosity of the lipid bilayer contributes to the resulting shear stress at
higher strain rates. In addition, the effects of the reduction of the spectrin
network connectivity on the shear modulus of the membrane are investigated.
