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Dynamics of spontaneous wrapping of microparticles by floppy lipid membranes
Summary
Using colloidal particles and lipid vesicles with tunable adhesive forces, researchers measured the velocity and forces involved in membrane wrapping of micron-sized particles, finding that energy dissipation near the contact line is the main factor controlling wrapping speed. These dynamics are relevant to understanding how cells engulf nano- and microparticles including nanoplastics.
Lipid membranes form the barrier between the inside and outside of cells and many of their subcompartments. As such, they bind to a wide variety of nano- and micrometer sized objects and, in the presence of strong adhesive forces, strongly deform and envelop particles. This wrapping plays a key role in many healthy and disease-related processes. So far, little work has focused on the dynamics of wrapping. Here, using a model system of micron-sized colloidal particles and giant unilamellar lipid vesicles with tunable adhesive forces, we measure the velocity of the particle during wrapping as well as the forces exerted on it by the lipid membrane. Dissipation near the contact line appears to be the main factor determining the wrapping velocity and time to wrap an object.
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