RT Journal Article
T1 Direct Cytoskeleton Forces Cause Membrane Softening in Red Blood Cells
A1 Rodríguez García, Ruddi
A1 López-Montero, Iván
A1 Mell, Michael
A1 Egea, Gustavo
A1 Gov, Nir S.
A1 Monroy Muñoz, Francisco
AB Erythrocytes are flexible cells specialized in the systemic transport of oxygen in vertebrates. This physiological function is connected to their outstanding ability to deform in passing through narrow capillaries. In recent years, there has been an influx of experimental evidence of enhanced cell-shape fluctuations related to metabolically driven activity of the erythroid membrane skeleton. However, no direct observation of the active cytoskeleton forces has yet been reported to our knowledge. Here, we show experimental evidence of the presence of temporally correlated forces superposed over the thermal fluctuations of the erythrocyte membrane. These forces are ATP-dependent and drive enhanced flickering motions in human erythrocytes. Theoretical analyses provide support for a direct force exerted on the membrane by the cytoskeleton nodes as pulses of well-defined average duration. In addition, such metabolically regulated active forces cause global membrane softening, a mechanical attribute related to the functional erythroid deformability.
PB Biophysical Society
SN 0006-3495
YR 2015
FD 2015
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/34194
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/34194
LA eng
NO The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Research Council under the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (ERC grant agreement n° 338133)
NO Unión Europea. FP7
NO Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO)
NO Comunidad de Madrid
NO Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO)
DS Docta Complutense
RD 30 abr 2024