Skip to main navigation Skip to search Skip to main content

Cytoskeletal Contribution to Cell Stiffness Due to Osmotic Swelling; Extending the Donnan Equilibrium

  • SUNY Buffalo

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

10 Scopus citations

Abstract

Cell volume regulation is commonly analyzed with a model of a closed semipermeable membrane filled with impermeant mobile solutes and the Donnan Equilibrium is used to predict the hydrostatic pressure. This traditional model ignores the fact that most cells are filled with a crosslinked cytoskeleton that is elastic and can be stretched or compressed like a sponge with no obvious need to move mobile solutes. However, calculations show that under osmotic stress, the elastic energy of the cytoskeleton is far greater than the elastic energy of the membrane. Here we expand the traditional Donnan model to include the elasticity of a cytoskeleton with fixed charges and show that cell stiffening happens without a membrane.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationCurrent Topics in Membranes
EditorsIrena Levitane, Eric Delpire, Hector Rasgado-Flores
PublisherAcademic Press Inc.
Pages83-96
Number of pages14
ISBN (Print)9780128154564
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 1 2018

Publication series

NameCurrent Topics in Membranes
Volume81
ISSN (Print)1063-5823

Keywords

  • Cytoskeleton
  • Elasticity
  • Osmosis
  • Poroelasticity
  • Volume

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Cytoskeletal Contribution to Cell Stiffness Due to Osmotic Swelling; Extending the Donnan Equilibrium'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this