ABSTRACT
Cell mechanics has proven to be important in many biological processes. Although there is a number of experimental techniques which allow us to study mechanical properties of cell, there is still a lack of understanding of the role each sub-cellular component plays during cell deformations. We present a new mesoscopic particle-based eukaryotic cell model which explicitly describes cell membrane, nucleus and cytoskeleton. We employ Dissipative Particle Dynamics (DPD) method that provides us with the unified framework for modeling of a cell and its interactions in the flow. Data from micropipette aspiration experiments were used to define model parameters. The model was validated using data from microfluidic experiments. The validated model was then applied to study the impact of the sub-cellular components on the cell viscoelastic response in micropipette aspiration and microfluidic experiments.
Subject(s)
Biomechanical Phenomena/physiology , Cell Membrane/physiology , Cell Nucleus/physiology , Cytoskeleton/physiology , Models, Biological , Cell Line , Computational Biology , Elasticity , Epithelial Cells/cytology , Epithelial Cells/physiology , Humans , Microfluidics , Micromanipulation , ViscosityABSTRACT
We present a new coarse-grained polarizable protein model for dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) method. This method allows large timesteps in particle-based systems and speeds up sampling by many orders of magnitude. Our new model is based on the electrostatic polarization of the protein backbone and a detailed representation of the sidechains in combination with a polarizable water model. We define our model parameters using the experimental structures of two proteins, TrpZip2 and TrpCage. Backmapping and subsequent short replica-exchange molecular dynamics runs verify our approach and show convergence to the experimental structures on the atomistic level. We validate our model on five different proteins: GB1, the WW-domain, the B-domain of Protein A, the peripheral binding subunit and villin headpiece.
Subject(s)
Proteins/chemistry , Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions , Models, Molecular , Molecular Dynamics Simulation , Particle Size , Surface Properties , Water/chemistryABSTRACT
When blood flows through a bifurcation, red blood cells (RBCs) travel into side branches at different hematocrit levels, and it is even possible that all RBCs enter into one branch only, leading to a complete separation of plasma and RBCs. To quantify this phenomenon via particle-based mesoscopic simulations, we developed a general framework for open boundary conditions in multiphase flows that is effective even for high hematocrit levels. The inflow at the inlet is duplicated from a fully developed flow generated in a pilot simulation with periodic boundary conditions. The outflow is controlled by adaptive forces to maintain the flow rate and velocity gradient at fixed values, while the particles leaving the arteriole at the outlet are removed from the system. Upon validation of this approach, we performed systematic 3D simulations to study plasma skimming in arterioles of diameters 20 to 32 microns. For a flow rate ratio 6:1 at the branches, we observed the "all-or-nothing" phenomenon with plasma only entering the low flow rate branch. We then simulated blood-plasma separation in arteriolar bifurcations with different bifurcation angles and same diameter of the daughter branches. Our simulations predict a significant increase in RBC flux through the main daughter branch as the bifurcation angle is increased. Finally, we demonstrated the effectiveness of the new methodology in simulations of blood flow in vessels with multiple inlets and outlets, constructed using an angiogenesis model.
