Regensburg 2019 – wissenschaftliches Programm
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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik
BP 24: Cell adhesion and migration, multicellular systems I
BP 24.8: Vortrag
Donnerstag, 4. April 2019, 11:45–12:00, H11
Dynamics of vortices formed by active malaria parasites — •Pintu Patra1, Anna Battista1, Johanna Kratzer2, Konrad Beyer2, Astha Jaiswal3, Karl Rohr3, Friedrich Frischknecht2, and Ulrich S. Schwarz1 — 1Institute for Theoretical Physics & BioQuant, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany — 2Center for Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Medical School, Heidelberg, Germany — 3Bioquant, University of Heidelberg & DKFZ, Heidelberg, Germany
Self-organised vortices can be observed in many biological systems, including schools of fish, groups of bacteria and active biopolymers. Here we study dynamic vortices formed by crescent-shaped Plasmodium sporozoites, the highly motile forms of the malaria parasite. Image processing of our experimental movies shows that the angular speed of sporozoites within a vortex is inversely proportional to their distance from the vortex centre, while their speed remains uncorrelated. Further, the distance of sporozoites from vortex centre is found to oscillate over time. To explain the characteristic features of sporozoite vortices, we develop an agent-based simulation, where each agent mimics the biophysical behaviour of an individual sporozoite. Our simulation shows that at high-density sporozoites can self-organize into vortices that recapitulate the experimentally observed features. Our quantification of motility statistics of sporozoites in the vortex state shows that vortex sporozoites are more dynamic than isolated sporozoites. Our study presents a new model system for the emergence of stable patterns by active particles with curved shapes.