180 research outputs found
Kinematics of the swimming of Spiroplasma
\emph{Spiroplasma} swimming is studied with a simple model based on
resistive-force theory. Specifically, we consider a bacterium shaped in the
form of a helix that propagates traveling-wave distortions which flip the
handedness of the helical cell body. We treat cell length, pitch angle, kink
velocity, and distance between kinks as parameters and calculate the swimming
velocity that arises due to the distortions. We find that, for a fixed pitch
angle, scaling collapses the swimming velocity (and the swimming efficiency) to
a universal curve that depends only on the ratio of the distance between kinks
to the cell length. Simultaneously optimizing the swimming efficiency with
respect to inter-kink length and pitch angle, we find that the optimal pitch
angle is 35.5 and the optimal inter-kink length ratio is 0.338, values
in good agreement with experimental observations.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure
Beating patterns of filaments in viscoelastic fluids
Many swimming microorganisms, such as bacteria and sperm, use flexible
flagella to move through viscoelastic media in their natural environments. In
this paper we address the effects a viscoelastic fluid has on the motion and
beating patterns of elastic filaments. We treat both a passive filament which
is actuated at one end, and an active filament with bending forces arising from
internal motors distributed along its length. We describe how viscoelasticity
modifies the hydrodynamic forces exerted on the filaments, and how these
modified forces affect the beating patterns. We show how high viscosity of
purely viscous or viscoelastic solutions can lead to the experimentally
observed beating patterns of sperm flagella, in which motion is concentrated at
the distal end of the flagella
Twirling Elastica: Kinks, Viscous Drag, and Torsional Stress
Biological filaments such as DNA or bacterial flagella are typically curved
in their natural states. To elucidate the interplay of viscous drag, twisting,
and bending in the overdamped dynamics of such filaments, we compute the
steady-state torsional stress and shape of a rotating rod with a kink. Drag
deforms the rod, ultimately extending or folding it depending on the kink
angle. For certain kink angles and kink locations, both states are possible at
high rotation rates. The agreement between our macroscopic experiments and the
theory is good, with no adjustable parameters.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
A discrete geometric approach for simulating the dynamics of thin viscous threads
We present a numerical model for the dynamics of thin viscous threads based
on a discrete, Lagrangian formulation of the smooth equations. The model makes
use of a condensed set of coordinates, called the centerline/spin
representation: the kinematical constraints linking the centerline's tangent to
the orientation of the material frame is used to eliminate two out of three
degrees of freedom associated with rotations. Based on a description of twist
inspired from discrete differential geometry and from variational principles,
we build a full-fledged discrete viscous thread model, which includes in
particular a discrete representation of the internal viscous stress.
Consistency of the discrete model with the classical, smooth equations is
established formally in the limit of a vanishing discretization length. The
discrete models lends itself naturally to numerical implementation. Our
numerical method is validated against reference solutions for steady coiling.
The method makes it possible to simulate the unsteady behavior of thin viscous
jets in a robust and efficient way, including the combined effects of inertia,
stretching, bending, twisting, large rotations and surface tension
Effects of Microgravity or Simulated Launch on Testicular Function in Rats
Testes from flight rats on COSMOS 2044 and simulated-launch, vivarium, or caudal-elevation control rats (5/group) were analyzed by subjective and quantitative methods. On the basis of observations of fixed tissue, it was evident that some rats had testicular abnormalities unassociated with treatment and probably existing when they were assigned randomly to the four treatment groups. Considering rats without preexisting abnormalities, diameter of seminiferous tubules and numbers of germ cells per tubule cross section were lower (P less than 0.05) in flight than in simulated-launch or vivarium rats. However, ratios of germ cells to each other or to Sertoli cells and number of homogenization-resistant spermatids did not differ from values for simulated-launch or vivarium controls. Expression of testis-specific gene products was not greatly altered by flight. Furthermore, there was no evidence for production of stress-inducible transcripts of the hsp7O or hsp9O genes. Concentration of receptors for rat luteinizing hormone in testicular tissue and surface density of smooth endoplasmic reticulum in Leydig cells were similar in flight and simulated-launch rats. However, concentrations of testosterone in testicular tissue or peripheral blood plasma were reduced (P less than 0.05) in flight rats to less than 20% of values for simulated-launch or vivarium controls. Thus spermatogenesis was essentially normal in flight rats, but production of testosterone was severely depressed. Exposure to microgravity for more than 2 wk might result in additional changes. Sequelae of reduced androgen production associated with microgravity on turnover of muscle and bone should be considered
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Cyclin-dependent kinase control of motile ciliogenesis
Cycling cells maintain centriole number at precisely two per cell in part by limiting their duplication to S phase under the control of the cell cycle machinery. In contrast, postmitotic multiciliated cells (MCCs) uncouple centriole assembly from cell cycle progression and produce hundreds of centrioles in the absence of DNA replication to serve as basal bodies for motile cilia. Although some cell cycle regulators have previously been implicated in motile ciliogenesis, how the cell cycle machinery is employed to amplify centrioles is unclear. We use transgenic mice and primary airway epithelial cell culture to show that Cdk2, the kinase responsible for the G1 to S phase transition, is also required in MCCs to initiate motile ciliogenesis. While Cdk2 is coupled with cyclins E and A2 during cell division, cyclin A1 is required during ciliogenesis, contributing to an alternative regulatory landscape that facilitates centriole amplification without DNA replication
The Geometry of Soft Materials: A Primer
We present an overview of the differential geometry of curves and surfaces
using examples from soft matter as illustrations. The presentation requires a
background only in vector calculus and is otherwise self-contained.Comment: 45 pages, RevTeX, 12 eps figure
The Molecular Chaperone Hsp90Ξ± Is Required for Meiotic Progression of Spermatocytes beyond Pachytene in the Mouse
The molecular chaperone Hsp90 has been found to be essential for viability in all tested eukaryotes, from the budding yeast to Drosophila. In mammals, two genes encode the two highly similar and functionally largely redundant isoforms Hsp90Ξ± and Hsp90Ξ². Although they are co-expressed in most if not all cells, their relative levels vary between tissues and during development. Since mouse embryos lacking Hsp90Ξ² die at implantation, and despite the fact that Hsp90 inhibitors being tested as anti-cancer agents are relatively well tolerated, the organismic functions of Hsp90 in mammals remain largely unknown. We have generated mouse lines carrying gene trap insertions in the Hsp90Ξ± gene to investigate the global functions of this isoform. Surprisingly, mice without Hsp90Ξ± are apparently normal, with one major exception. Mutant male mice, whose Hsp90Ξ² levels are unchanged, are sterile because of a complete failure to produce sperm. While the development of the male reproductive system appears to be normal, spermatogenesis arrests specifically at the pachytene stage of meiosis I. Over time, the number of spermatocytes and the levels of the meiotic regulators and Hsp90 interactors Hsp70-2, NASP and Cdc2 are reduced. We speculate that Hsp90Ξ± may be required to maintain and to activate these regulators and/or to disassemble the synaptonemal complex that holds homologous chromosomes together. The link between fertility and Hsp90 is further supported by our finding that an Hsp90 inhibitor that can cross the blood-testis barrier can partially phenocopy the genetic defects
Parthenogenic Blastocysts Derived from Cumulus-Free In Vitro Matured Human Oocytes
Approximately 20% of oocytes are classified as immature and discarded following intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) procedures. These oocytes are obtained from gonadotropin-stimulated patients, and are routinely removed from the cumulus cells which normally would mature the oocytes. Given the ready access to these human oocytes, they represent a potential resource for both clinical and basic science application. However culture conditions for the maturation of cumulus-free oocytes have not been optimized. We aimed to improve maturation conditions for cumulus-free oocytes via culture with ovarian paracrine/autocrine factors identified by single cell analysis..Human cumulus-free oocytes from hormone-stimulated cycles are capable of developing to blastocysts when cultured with ovarian factor supplementation. Our improved IVM culture conditions may be used for obtaining mature oocytes for clinical purposes and/or for derivation of embryonic stem cells following parthenogenesis or nuclear transfer
Experimentally Guided Computational Model Discovers Important Elements for Social Behavior in Myxobacteria
Identifying essential factors in cellular interactions and organized movement of cells is important in predicting behavioral phenotypes exhibited by many bacterial cells. We chose to study Myxococcus xanthus, a soil bacterium whose individual cell behavior changes while in groups, leading to spontaneous formation of aggregation center during the early stage of fruiting body development. In this paper, we develop a cell-based computational model that solely relies on experimentally determined parameters to investigate minimal elements required to produce the observed social behaviors in M. xanthus. The model verifies previously known essential parameters and identifies one novel parameter, the active turning, which we define as the ability and tendency of a cell to turn to a certain angle without the presence of any obvious external factors. The simulation is able to produce both gliding pattern and spontaneous aggregation center formation as observed in experiments. The model is tested against several known M. xanthus mutants and our modification of parameter values relevant for the individual mutants produces good phenotypic agreements. This outcome indicates the strong predictive potential of our model for the social behaviors of uncharacterized mutants and their expected phenotypes during development
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