Regensburg 2025 – scientific programme
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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik
BP 25: Cell Mechanics II
BP 25.11: Talk
Thursday, March 20, 2025, 12:30–12:45, H44
Dynamic states of P. falciparum infected erythrocytes adhering in shear flow - a qualitative study of rolling and flipping motions — •Katharina Scholz1, Leon Lettermann2, Jessica Kehrer3, Michael Lanzer3, Ulrich Schwarz2, and Motomu Tanaka1 — 1Institute for Physical Chemistry, University of Heidelberg, Germany — 2Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of Heidelberg, Germany — 3Center of Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Medical School, Germany
As surviving strategy, the malaria parasite remodels the red blood cell by causing the expression of adhesive proteins on its surface. The modification allows the infected cell to adhere to the endothelial cells in the blood stream, thereby avoiding clearance by the spleen.
This transformation also alters cell shape and movement behaviour during development. We used Reflection Interference Contrast Microscopy (RICM) in quantitative flow chamber experiments and employed a high-speed camera to gain more information about the contact footprint of cells. With this setup, we tracked parasitised erythrocytes individually, label-free and non-invasively. Early-stage trophozoites exhibited flipping behaviour, while late-stage schizonts showed a steady rolling motion. Our results provide a quantitative understanding of how parasite development affects dynamic cytoadhesion behaviour and shed light on understanding endothelial cell activation.
Keywords: Malaria; cytoadhesion; RICM; supported membrane