Numerical Model for Formation and Evolution of the Bleb

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe bleb morphology and its changes are an important mechanism of cell’s amoeboid migration. By releasing bonds between the membrane and the cortex of a cell, the formation of bleb can be observed experimentally, but the mechanism that affects the size and shape of this kind of bleb is waiting for further study. In this paper, a two-dimensional fluid-solid coupling model is established to describe a cell with membrane, cortex and cytoplasm in a solution, and a numerical solving method for the fluid-solid coupling model is developed to simulate the behaviors of cell bleb. The effects of parameters, such as the number of broken bonds, the viscosity coefficient of the cortex, and the cell’s membrane modulus on the size and the shape of the bleb were investigated. Numerical results show that the model is effective to simulate the formation and evolution of cell’s bleb, and derive the contribution of several affecting factors to the bleb shape and size clearly.SIGNIFICANCETo understand the process of cell migration with bleb pseudopods in the amoeba cell migration, it is necessary to study the formation mechanism of cells protruding bleb. In this paper, we propose a reasonable and reliable cell numerical model. With this model we successfully simulate the bleb phenomenon consistent with the experimental phenomenon by changing the key impact factors. The method in this paper is applicable to the cell model of amoeba cell migration pattern, which helps to understand the important role of blebs in the process of cell migration.