Single-Cell Biophysics: Measurement, Modulation, and Modeling

Single-Cell Biophysics: Measurement, Modulation, and Modeling

Poster Abstracts

21-POS Board 11 Modeling Cell Blebbing with Boundary Integral Method Chao Fang , T.H Hui, Yuan Lin. The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong.

Although cell blebbing has been known to play important roles in processes like cell locomotion, spreading, and apoptosis, how the initiation and progression of such phenomenon are governed by physical factors such as membrane tension, bilayer-cortex cohesion and intracellular pressure remains poorly understood. In this study, we developed a computational model to describe this process by tracking the movement of cell membrane in a viscous medium with a boundary integral method. Simulations results showed good agreement with various experimental findings, obtained by us or reported in the literature. In particular, we verified the existence of a critical cortical tension for the formation of a bleb and showed how this threshold value is influenced by the strength of bilayer-cortex adhesion and the bending rigidity of lipid membrane. A linear relationship between the final volume of a bleb and its initial growth rate is also observed, in consistent with previous reports. Finally, an evolution map summarizing the blebbing dynamics was constructed where we showed that, depending on the level of intracellular pressure and the size of the weakened cortex, a bleb can either never be formed, or be formed but grows with a fixed width, or keeps growing in size as a result of the successive failure of adhesion between the bilayer membrane and the cortex.

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