The state diagram for cell adhesion under flow: leukocyte rolling and firm adhesion

Leukocyte adhesion under flow in the microvasculature is mediated by binding between cell surface receptors and complementary ligands expressed on the surface of the endothelium. Leukocytes adhere to endothelium in a two-step mechanism: rolling (primarily mediated by selectins) followed by firm adhesion (primarily mediated by integrins). Using a computational method called "Adhesive Dynamics," we have simulated the adhesion of a cell to a surface in flow, and elucidated the relationship between receptor-ligand functional properties and the dynamics of adhesion. We express this relationship in a state diagram, a one-to-one map between the biophysical properties of adhesion molecules and various adhesive behaviors. Behaviors that are observed in simulations include firm adhesion, transient adhesion (rolling), and no adhesion. We varied the dissociative properties, association rate, bond elasticity, and shear rate and found that the unstressed dissociation rate, k(r)(o), and the bond interaction length, gamma, are the most important molecular properties controlling the dynamics of adhesion. Experimental k(r)(o) and gamma values from the literature for molecules that are known to mediate rolling adhesion fall within the rolling region of the state diagram. We explain why L-selectin-mediated rolling, which has faster k(r)(o) than other selectins, is accompanied by a smaller value for gamma. We also show how changes in association rate, shear rate, and bond elasticity alter the dynamics of adhesion. The state diagram (which must be mapped for each receptor-ligand system) presents a concise and comprehensive means of understanding the relationship between bond functional properties and the dynamics of adhesion mediated by receptor-ligand bonds.