Biophysical Journal 67: 521-529 (1994)
© 1994 the Biophysical Society

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Boal, D H Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Boal, D H

Computer simulation of a model network for the erythrocyte cytoskeleton.

Department of Physics, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.

ABSTRACT

The geometry and mechanical properties of the human erythrocyte membrane cytoskeleton are investigated by a computer simulation in which the cytoskeleton is represented by a network of polymer chains. Four elastic moduli as well as the area and thickness are predicted for the chain network as a function of temperature and the number of segments in each chain. Comparisons are made with mean field arguments to examine the importance of steric interactions in determining network properties. Applied to the red blood cell, the simulation predicts that in the bilayer plane the membrane cytoskeleton has a shear modulus of 10 +/- 2 x 10(-6) J/m2 and an areal compression modulus of 17 +/- 2 x 10(-6) J/m2. The volume compression modulus and the transverse Young's modulus of the cytoskeleton are predicted to be 1.2 +/- 0.1 x 10(3) J/m3 and 2.0 +/- 0.1 x 10(3) J/m3, respectively. Elements of the cytoskeleton are predicted to have a mean displacement from the bilayer plane of 15 nm. The simulation agrees with some, but not all, of the shear modulus measurements. The other predicted moduli have not been measured.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				L. C.-L. Lin and F. L. H. Brown Dynamics of Pinned Membranes with Application to Protein Diffusion on the Surface of Red Blood Cells Biophys. J., February 1, 2004; 86(2): 764 - 780. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				F. L. H. Brown Regulation of Protein Mobility via Thermal Membrane Undulations Biophys. J., February 1, 2003; 84(2): 842 - 853. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. Discher, N Mohandas, and E. Evans Molecular maps of red cell deformation: hidden elasticity and in situ connectivity Science, November 11, 1994; 266(5187): 1032 - 1035. [Abstract] [PDF]