122 research outputs found
Slow sedimentation and deformability of charged lipid vesicles
The study of vesicles in suspension is important to understand the
complicated dynamics exhibited by cells in vivo and in vitro. We developed a
computer simulation based on the boundary-integral method to model the three
dimensional gravity-driven sedimentation of charged vesicles towards a flat
surface. The membrane mechanical behavior was modeled using the Helfrich
Hamiltonian and near incompressibility of the membrane was enforced via a model
which accounts for the thermal fluctuations of the membrane. The simulations
were verified and compared to experimental data obtained using suspended
vesicles labelled with a fluorescent probe, which allows visualization using
fluorescence microscopy and confers the membrane with a negative surface
charge. The electrostatic interaction between the vesicle and the surface was
modeled using the linear Derjaguin approximation for a low ionic concentration
solution. The sedimentation rate as a function of the distance of the vesicle
to the surface was determined both experimentally and from the computer
simulations. The gap between the vesicle and the surface, as well as the shape
of the vesicle at equilibrium were also studied. It was determined that
inclusion of the electrostatic interaction is fundamental to accurately predict
the sedimentation rate as the vesicle approaches the surface and the size of
the gap at equilibrium, we also observed that the presence of charge in the
membrane increases its rigidity
Bending models of lipid bilayer membranes: spontaneous curvature and area-difference elasticity
We preset a computational study of bending models for the curvature
elasticity of lipid bilayer membranes that are relevant for simulations of
vesicles and red blood cells. We compute bending energy and forces on
triangulated meshes and evaluate and extend four well established schemes for
their approximation: Kantor and Nelson 1987, Phys. Rev. A 36, 4020, J\"ulicher
1996, J. Phys. II France 6, 1797, Gompper and Kroll 1996, J. Phys. I France 6,
1305, and Meyer et. al. 2003 in Visualization and Mathematics III, Springer,
p35, termed A, B, C, D. We present a comparative study of these four schemes on
the minimal bending model and propose extensions for schemes B, C and D. These
extensions incorporate the reference state and non-local energy to account for
the spontaneous curvature, bilayer coupling, and area-difference elasticity
models. Our results indicate that the proposed extensions enhance the models to
account for shape transformation including budding/vesiculation as well as for
non-axisymmetric shapes. We find that the extended scheme B is superior to the
rest in terms of accuracy, and robustness as well as simplicity of
implementation. We demonstrate the capabilities of this scheme on several
benchmark problems including the budding-vesiculating process and the
reproduction of the phase diagram of vesicles
Active elastohydrodynamics of vesicles in narrow, blind constrictions
Fluid-resistance limited transport of vesicles through narrow constrictions
is a recurring theme in many biological and engineering applications. Inspired
by the motor-driven movement of soft membrane-bound vesicles into closed
neuronal dendritic spines, here we study this problem using a combination of
passive three-dimensional simulations and a simplified semi-analytical theory
for active transport of vesicles that are forced through such constrictions by
molecular motors. We show that the motion of these objects is characterized by
two dimensionless quantities related to the geometry and the strength of
forcing relative to the vesicle elasticity. We use numerical simulations to
characterize the transit time for a vesicle forced by fluid pressure through a
constriction in a channel, and find that relative to an open channel, transport
into a blind end leads to the formation of an effective lubrication layer that
strongly impedes motion. When the fluid pressure forcing is complemented by
forces due to molecular motors that are responsible for vesicle trafficking
into dendritic spines, we find that the competition between motor forcing and
fluid drag results in multistable dynamics reminiscent of the real system. Our
study highlights the role of non-local hydrodynamic effects in determining the
kinetics of vesicular transport in constricted geometries
Micro-Capsules in Shear Flow
This paper deals with flow-induced shape transitions of elastic capsules. The
state of the art concerning both theory and experiments is briefly reviewed
starting with dynamically induced small deformation of initially spherical
capsules and the formation of wrinkles on polymerized membranes. Initially
non-spherical capsules show tumbling and tank-treading motion in shear flow.
Theoretical descriptions of the transition between these two types of motion
assuming a fixed shape are at variance with the full capsule dynamics obtained
numerically. To resolve the discrepancy, we expand the exact equations of
motion for small deformations and find that shape changes play a dominant role.
We classify the dynamical phase transitions and obtain numerical and analytical
results for the phase boundaries as a function of viscosity contrast, shear and
elongational flow rate. We conclude with perspectives on timedependent flow, on
shear-induced unbinding from surfaces, on the role of thermal fluctuations, and
on applying the concepts of stochastic thermodynamics to these systems.Comment: 34 pages, 15 figure
Fluid Vesicles in Flow
We review the dynamical behavior of giant fluid vesicles in various types of
external hydrodynamic flow. The interplay between stresses arising from
membrane elasticity, hydrodynamic flows, and the ever present thermal
fluctuations leads to a rich phenomenology. In linear flows with both
rotational and elongational components, the properties of the tank-treading and
tumbling motions are now well described by theoretical and numerical models. At
the transition between these two regimes, strong shape deformations and
amplification of thermal fluctuations generate a new regime called trembling.
In this regime, the vesicle orientation oscillates quasi-periodically around
the flow direction while asymmetric deformations occur. For strong enough
flows, small-wavelength deformations like wrinkles are observed, similar to
what happens in a suddenly reversed elongational flow. In steady elongational
flow, vesicles with large excess areas deform into dumbbells at large flow
rates and pearling occurs for even stronger flows. In capillary flows with
parabolic flow profile, single vesicles migrate towards the center of the
channel, where they adopt symmetric shapes, for two reasons. First, walls exert
a hydrodynamic lift force which pushes them away. Second, shear stresses are
minimal at the tip of the flow. However, symmetry is broken for vesicles with
large excess areas, which flow off-center and deform asymmetrically. In
suspensions, hydrodynamic interactions between vesicles add up to these two
effects, making it challenging to deduce rheological properties from the
dynamics of individual vesicles. Further investigations of vesicles and similar
objects and their suspensions in steady or time-dependent flow will shed light
on phenomena such as blood flow.Comment: 13 pages, 13 figures. Adv. Colloid Interface Sci., 201
Defining the Free Energy Landscape for Protein Induced Cell Membrane Curvature
Using methods from computational statistical mechanics, this thesis aims to elucidate the free energy landscape for protein mediated curvature induction in cell membranes. In particular, a mesoscale model of the cell membrane is utilized in this thesis to probe the thermodynamics of several membrane morphological dependent phenomena including membrane tubulation, the formation of endocytic buds, and protein recruitment on cell protrusions. This model allows for the quantification of membrane proteins curvature sensing behavior due to thermal fluctuations, and is able to predict morphologies which form due to membrane proteins cooperative effects. Analysis of the free energy landscape for generation of tubular membrane structures finds correspondence with the thermodynamics of micelle formation in amphiphilic systems. Furthermore, this research is able to quantify differential protein recruitment on protrusive membrane morphologies and inform cell network models of the interplay between membrane tension and curvature inducing protein signaling
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