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Scale-invariance in miniature coarse-grained red blood cells by fluctuation analysis
Paul Appshaw1, Annela M Seddon2, Simon Hanna1
1School of Physics, HH Wills Physics Laboratory, University of Bristol, BS8 1TL, UK. paul.appshaw@bristol.ac.uk.
Soft Matter
|January 7, 2022
Summary
This study validates a computational model for human red blood cells (RBCs). Models simulating RBCs larger than 0.5 μm accurately represent cell shape and mechanical properties, confirming scale invariance.
Area of Science:
- Biophysics
- Computational Biology
- Materials Science
Background:
- A coarse-grained molecular dynamics model accurately represents human red blood cell (RBC) membrane properties.
- Simulating whole RBCs with this model is computationally expensive, leading to the use of "miniature" cells.
- The validity of simulating smaller RBC models to represent full-sized cells is currently unverified.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the scale invariance of a coarse-grained RBC model.
- To determine the minimum model size required for accurate representation of RBC morphology and mechanics.
- To validate the use of smaller simulated cells as surrogates for full-sized human red blood cells.
Main Methods:
- Simulated RBC models of varying diameters using a coarse-grained molecular dynamics approach.
- Qualitatively analyzed shape evolution across different model sizes.
- Quantitatively measured bending rigidity using thermal fluctuation analysis.
Main Results:
- RBC models with diameters ≥0.5 μm formed the characteristic biconcave shape.
- Smaller models adopted a bowl-shaped stomatocyte morphology.
- Bending rigidity remained constant across all tested sizes and consistent between whole-cell and planar bilayer measurements.
Conclusions:
- The coarse-grained RBC model accurately represents morphological and mechanical properties for model diameters ≥0.5 μm.
- Scale invariance is confirmed for the investigated properties.
- The use of smaller simulated RBCs is validated for studies focusing on morphology and mechanics above this size threshold.
