Physical phase field model for phagocytosis
We propose and study a simple, physical model for phagocytosis, i.e. the active, actin-mediated uptake of micron-sized particles by biological cells. The cell is described by the phase field method and the driving mechanisms of uptake are actin ratcheting, modeled by a dynamic vector field, as well...
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article (Journal) |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
January 2024
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| In: |
New journal of physics
Year: 2024, Volume: 26, Pages: 1-14 |
| ISSN: | 1367-2630 |
| DOI: | 10.1088/1367-2630/ad1a2e |
| Online Access: | Verlag, kostenfrei, Volltext: https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/ad1a2e Verlag, kostenfrei, Volltext: https://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/ad1a2e 
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| Author Notes: | Benjamin Winkler, Mohammad Abu Hamed, Alexander A Nepomnyashchy and Falko Ziebert |
| Summary: | We propose and study a simple, physical model for phagocytosis, i.e. the active, actin-mediated uptake of micron-sized particles by biological cells. The cell is described by the phase field method and the driving mechanisms of uptake are actin ratcheting, modeled by a dynamic vector field, as well as cell-particle adhesion due to receptor-ligand binding. We first test the modeling framework for the symmetric situation of a spherical cell engulfing a fixed spherical particle. We then exemplify its versatility by studying various asymmetric situations like different particle shapes and orientations, as well as the simultaneous uptake of two particles. In addition, we perform a perturbation theory of a slightly modified model version in the symmetric setting, allowing to derive a reduced model, shedding light on the effective driving forces and being easier to solve. This work is meant as a first step in describing phagocytosis and we discuss several effects that are amenable to future modeling within the same framework. |
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| Item Description: | Veröffentlicht: 16. Januar 2024 Gesehen am 02.04.2024 |
| Physical Description: | Online Resource |
| ISSN: | 1367-2630 |
| DOI: | 10.1088/1367-2630/ad1a2e |