  While modern structural biology has provided us with a rich and diverse
picture of membrane proteins, the biological function of membrane proteins is
often influenced by the mechanical properties of the surrounding lipid bilayer.
Here we explore the relation between the shape of membrane proteins and the
cooperative function of membrane proteins induced by membrane-mediated elastic
interactions. For the experimental model system of mechanosensitive ion
channels we find that the sign and strength of elastic interactions depend on
the protein shape, yielding distinct cooperative gating curves for distinct
protein orientations. Our approach predicts how directional elastic
interactions affect the molecular structure, organization, and biological
function of proteins in crowded membranes.
