Dresden 2014 – scientific programme
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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik
BP 7: Posters: Cell adhesion, mechanics and migration
BP 7.16: Poster
Monday, March 31, 2014, 17:30–19:30, P3
A Geometrical Model for Malaria Parasite Migration in Structured Environments — •Anna Battista1, Janina Hellmann2, Friedrich Frischknecht2, and Ulrich Schwarz1 — 1ITP and Bioquant, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany — 2Department of Infectious Diseases, University Clinics Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
Plasmodium sporozoites are the form of the malaria parasite that is injected into the skin of the host during a mosquito bite. They migrate rapidly through the dermis searching for a blood capillary to penetrate. Sporozoites have a curved shape and this is essential for their migration patterns: they describe circles on a flat substrate, roughly helical trajectories in an unstructured 3D environment, and irregular trajectories with circular elements in the skin [1,2,3]. Experiments with micro-fabricated pillar arrays [1] have shown that obstacles can deflect sporozoite trajectories into complex motility patterns, suggesting that the irregular trajectories in the skin result mainly from physical interactions with the environment. We propose a model that combines the prominent geometrical features of the parasite with a detailed interaction scheme upon collision with obstacles. The model is able to reproduce trajectories in homogeneous pillar arrays as well as to predict curvature-dependent selection of pillars in heterogeneous arrays. This cannot be explained via a pure hard-core interaction, but requires a favourable contact with a pillar. References [1] S. Muenter, Cell Host & Microbe 6, 551-562 (2009). [2] R. Amino, Nature Medicine 12, 220-224 (2006). [3] J.K. Hellmann, Plos Pathogens 7, e1002080 (2011).