Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 3, 2026
09:36
Evaluation of Cancer Stem Cell Migration Using Compartmentalizing Microfluidic Devices and Live Cell Imaging
Published on: December 23, 2011
Vesicle migration and spatial organization driven by flow line curvature.
Giovanni Ghigliotti1, Abtin Rahimian, George Biros
1Université Joseph Fourier and CNRS (UMR5588), Laboratoire de Spectrométrie Physique, 140 Avenue de la Physique, 38402 Saint Martin d'Hères, France.
Physical Review Letters
|March 17, 2011
Summary
Deformable vesicles in curved flows migrate to high shear regions. Their migration velocity links microscopic movement to macroscopic stress, and multiple vesicles self-organize, impacting flow rheology.
Area of Science:
- Fluid dynamics
- Biophysics
- Rheology
Background:
- Cross-streamline migration of deformable entities is crucial in industrial particulate flows, DNA sorting, and blood rheology.
- Understanding vesicle behavior in complex fluid flows is essential for various scientific and industrial applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the migration of vesicles in curved flow lines.
- To establish a quantitative relationship between vesicle migration and flow properties.
- To explore self-organization and segregation phenomena in multi-vesicle systems.
Main Methods:
- Two-dimensional numerical experiments were conducted.
- Vesicle migration velocity was analyzed as a function of normal stress difference and flow curvature.
- Simulations included multiple interacting vesicles to observe self-organization.
Main Results:
- Vesicles migrate towards regions of high flowline curvature (high shear rates).
- Vesicle migration velocity is a universal function of normal stress difference and flow curvature.
- Multiple vesicles exhibit self-organization and segregation, forming a rim near the inner cylinder.
Conclusions:
- A direct coupling between microscopic vesicle migration and macroscopic normal stress difference was demonstrated.
- Vesicle self-organization and segregation significantly impact the rheology of vesicle flows.
- The findings provide quantitative insights into the behavior of deformable entities in complex flows.
Related Concept Videos
01:32Cytoskeletal Coordination in Cell Migration
A migrating cell changes its shape during the cyclic events of attachment and detachment from the substratum and repositions the cell organelles correspondingly. These complex events are orchestrated by the dynamic cytoskeletal network comprising actin filaments, intermediate filaments, and microtubules. Cytoskeletal crosstalk — the direct and indirect communication between the different components — is crucial for this coordination. Direct communication involves various linker proteins that...
01:45Vesicular Tubular Clusters
After budding out from the ER membrane, some COPII vesicles lose their coat and fuse with one another to form larger vesicles and interconnected tubules called vesicular tubular clusters or VTCs. These clusters constitute a compartment at the ER-Golgi interface known as ERGIC (Endoplasmic Reticulum Golgi Intermediate Compartment). The ERGIC is a mobile membrane-bound cargo transport system that sorts proteins secreted from ER and delivers them to the Golgi.
With the help of motor proteins such...
With the help of motor proteins such...
01:26Transport Across the Golgi
While it is unclear how molecules move between adjacent Golgi cisternae, it is apparent that the molecules move from cis- cisterna, the entry face, to the trans- cisterna, the exit face. Experiments initially suggested vesicles that bud from one cisterna and fuse with the next cisterna to transport proteins between the cisternae. This vesicular transport model describes the Golgi apparatus as a relatively static structure with a unique enzyme composition in each cisterna. Molecules are...
01:09Cell Migration
Cell migration, the process by which cells move from one location to another, is essential for the proper development and viability of organisms throughout their life. When cells are not able to migrate properly to their ordained locations, various disorders may occur. For example, disruption in cell migration causes chronic inflammatory diseases such as arthritis.
01:19Cell Migration
Cell migration is a process by which the cells move from one location to another, playing an essential role in embryological development, repair and regeneration, immune response, and metastasis. Cells migrate in response to chemical or mechanical signals generated by specific organs or tissues. The overall mechanism includes three steps - polarization, protrusion, and release. Polarization involves the formation of a distinct cell front and rear, which determines the direction of movement.
01:31Mechanism of Lamellipodia Formation
Cells migrating in response to external stimuli form lamellipodia, which are thin membrane protrusions supported by a mesh of linked, branched, or unbranched actin filaments. These actin filaments interact with myosin motor proteins, creating the dynamic actomyosin complex within the cytoskeleton. Contractility, or the ability to generate contractile stress, is inherent to the actomyosin complex. It helps cells detect the stiffness of the surrounding ECM and exert contractile force for...