Effect of Cytoskeleton Elasticity on Amoeboid Swimming.

ABSTRACT: Recently, it has been reported that the cells of the immune system, as well as Dictyostelium amoebae, can swim in a bulk fluid by changing their shape repeatedly. We refer to this motion as amoeboid swimming. Here, we explore how the propulsion and the deformation of the cell emerge as an interplay between the active forces that the cell employs to activate the shape changes and the passive, viscoelastic response of the cell membrane, the cytoskeleton, and the surrounding environment. We introduce a model in which the cell is represented by an elastic capsule enclosing a viscous liquid. The motion of the cell is activated by time-dependent forces distributed along its surface. The model is solved numerically using the boundary integral formulation. The cell can swim in a fluid medium using

SUBMITTER: Ranganathan M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6170896 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature