Regensburg 2013 – wissenschaftliches Programm
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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik
BP 17: Biomaterials and Biopolymers II (joint with CPP)
BP 17.11: Vortrag
Mittwoch, 13. März 2013, 12:30–12:45, H43
Driving forces in corneocyte expansion: a geometric perspective — •Myfanwy Evans1 and Roland Roth2 — 1Institut für Theoretische Physik, Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Deutschland — 2Theoretische Physik, Universität Tübingen, Deutschland
The arrangement of keratin in corneocytes, the dead cells in the outer layer of mammalian skin, are likely a highly ordered packing of helical filaments. This specific geometric arrangement allows the exotic physical property of cell expansion on prolonged exposure to water to occur in a mechanically stable and reversible regime. We examine the solvation free energy of a water-like solvent filling the volume of the corneocytes around the hydrophilic keratin fibres by the morphometric approach to energy landscapes. We find that the energy minimisation drives the system to absorb water and expand where water is available. During this expansion, the elastic energy in the keratin intermediate filaments increases, and the balance of the two forces forms a natural limit for the expansion process and the system maintain full reversibility.