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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik
BP 22: Computational Biophysics II
BP 22.4: Hauptvortrag
Mittwoch, 14. März 2018, 15:45–16:15, H 1058
Complex shapes and dynamics of red blood cells in shear flow under physiological conditions — Johannes Mauer1, Simon Mendez2, Luca Lanotte3, Manouk Abkarian3, Gerhard Gompper1, and •Dmitry A. Fedosov1 — 1Institute of Complex Systems, Forschungszentrum Juelich, 52425 Juelich, Germany — 2Institut Montpellierain Alexander Grothendieck, CNRS, University of Montpellier, 34095 Montpellier, France — 3Centre de Biochimie Structurale, CNRS, University of Montpellier, 34090 Montpellier, France
Red blood cells (RBCs) constitute the major cellular part of blood and are mainly responsible for the transport of oxygen. They have a biconcave shape with a membrane consisting of a lipid bilayer with an attached cytoskeleton formed by a network of the spectrin proteins. The RBC membrane encloses a viscous cytosol (hemoglobin solution), so that RBCs possess no bulk cytoskeleton and organelles. Experiments on RBCs under shear flow reveal that the viscosity contrast between cytosol and blood plasma is an essential factor which determines their shape and dynamics. Under physiological conditions with a viscosity contrast of about five, RBCs first tumble, then roll, transit to a rolling and tumbling stomatocyte, and finally attain polylobed shapes at high shear rates. Our study based on microfluidic experiments and two different simulation techniques results in a complete diagram of RBC shapes and dynamics in shear flow as a function of shear rate and viscosity contrast. We will discuss potential mechanisms, which may lead to the variety of novel shapes, and compare the diagram for RBCs to that for vesicles.