Cellular blebs: pressure-driven, axisymmetric, membrane protrusions
Type
ArticleAuthors
Woolley, Thomas E.Gaffney, Eamonn A.
Oliver, James M.
Baker, Ruth E.
Waters, Sarah L.
Goriely, Alain

KAUST Grant Number
KUK-C1-013-04Date
2013-07-16Online Publication Date
2013-07-16Print Publication Date
2014-04Permanent link to this record
http://hdl.handle.net/10754/597744
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Blebs are cellular protrusions that are used by cells for multiple purposes including locomotion. A mechanical model for the problem of pressure-driven blebs based on force and moment balances of an axisymmetric shell model is proposed. The formation of a bleb is initiated by weakening the shell over a small region, and the deformation of the cellular membrane from the cortex is obtained during inflation. However, simply weakening the shell leads to an area increase of more than 4 %, which is physically unrealistic. Thus, the model is extended to include a reconfiguration process that allows large blebs to form with small increases in area. It is observed that both geometric and biomechanical constraints are important in this process. In particular, it is shown that although blebs are driven by a pressure difference across the cellular membrane, it is not the limiting factor in determining bleb size. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.Citation
Woolley TE, Gaffney EA, Oliver JM, Baker RE, Waters SL, et al. (2013) Cellular blebs: pressure-driven, axisymmetric, membrane protrusions. Biomech Model Mechanobiol 13: 463–476. Available: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10237-013-0509-9.Sponsors
This publication is based on work supported by Award No. KUK-C1-013-04, made by King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). AG is a Wolfson Royal Society Merit Holder and acknowledges support from a Reintegration Grant under EC Framework VII.Publisher
Springer NaturePubMed ID
23857038ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1007/s10237-013-0509-9
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