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The mechanism of red cell (dis)aggregation investigated by means of direct cell manipulation using multiple optical
P J Bronkhorst1, J Grimbergen, G J Brakenhoff
1Department of Molecular Cytology, Institute for Molecular Cell Biology, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Abstract:
We used multiple optical trapping to study the mechanism of red cell (dis)aggregation. Two sets of optical 'tweezers' were used to bring two red blood cells together to form a two-cell aggregate and then to pull them apart, to study the interaction between the cells. We found that cross-bridging occurred in normal reversible aggregation as we observed binding and the occurrence of small tethers between opposite cell membranes. Furthermore, the cells could only be parted by sliding them side by side with a maximum velocity in the order of microm/s indicating accumulation of the cross-bridges.
