Inferring thermodynamic limits on non-equilibrium membrane morphologies

Membrane growth exemplifies nonequilibrium self-assembly in living cells, both within intracellular organelles and at the cell surface, and plays a vital role in many cellular processes. Physical descriptions of membrane growth are complicated due to the inherent interplay between material exchange, bending, in-plane flow, and variable effective material properties. Here, we consider model one-component vesicles in which strong driving forces trigger morphological changes such as buckling and altered growth rates. We develop a simple continuum model to describe the coupling between driving forces, growth rates, and effective material properties, and we show that thermodynamic uncertainty relations set constraints on the parameters governing the observed morphological transitions. We test our predictions in coarse-grained simulations. Our work provides new insights into how active forces influence the mechanics and shape of biological materials during nonequilibrium self-assembly.