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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 6: Statistical Physics of Biological Systems II (joint DY, BP)

BP 6.10: Talk

Monday, March 14, 2011, 16:30–16:45, HÜL 186

Modelling the adsorption of biofilms — •Olaf Leidinger and Ludger Santen — Department of Theoretical Physics, Saarland University, 66041 Saarbrücken, Germany

The very first step of the formation of a biofilm at a surface, the adsorption of proteins, is investigated. Therefore a colloidal model is used, in which proteins are described as polydisperse spheres interacting with each other via the framework of the DLVO theory -- including steric repulsion, van der Waals and electrostatic interactions. Furthermore an internal degree of freedom, modelled as a change of geometry, is used to represent different conformations of a protein at the surface.

In qualitative agreement with experimental results, the adsorption kinetics of the initial biofilm formation was reproduced by means of Monte Carlo simulations [1,2]. The adsorption kinetics can be divided into three intervals: Initially the adsorption is limited by the flux of particles to the surface. At low concentrations the proteins spread at the surface in order to optimize the binding to the surface. At higher concentrations the adsorbed proteins are compacted due to particle-particle interactions and finally the surface coverage saturates. These dynamical regimes can be identified in experimental and theoretical investigations of the adsorbed amount. The comparison between experimentally and theoretically generated biofilms is completed by a detailed analysis of the point patterns connected to the adsorbed particles, which is carried out by means of integral measures.

[1] Y. Schmitt et al 2010 Biomicrofluidics 4, 032201

[2] A. Quinn et al 2008 EPL 81 56003