A 3-D computational model predicts that cell deformation affects selectin-mediated leukocyte rolling

Leukocyte recruitment to sites of inflammation is initiated by their tethering and rolling on the activated endothelium under flow. Even though the fast kinetics and high tensile strength of selectin-ligand bonds are primarily responsible for leukocyte rolling, experimental evidence suggests that cellular properties such as cell deformability and microvillus elasticity actively modulate leukocyte rolling behavior. Previous theoretical models either assumed cells as rigid spheres or were limited to two-dimensional representations of deformable cells with deterministic receptor-ligand kinetics, thereby failing to accurately predict leukocyte rolling. We therefore developed a three-dimensional computational model based on the immersed boundary method to predict receptor-mediated rolling of deformable cells in shear flow coupled to a Monte Carlo method simulating the stochastic receptor-ligand interactions. Our model predicts for the first time that the rolling of more compliant cells is relatively smoother and slower compared to cells with stiffer membranes, due to increased cell-substrate contact area. At the molecular level, we show that the average number of bonds per cell as well as per single microvillus decreases with increasing membrane stiffness. Moreover, the average bond lifetime decreases with increasing shear rate and with increasing membrane stiffness, due to higher hydrodynamic force experienced by the cell. Taken together, our model captures the effect of cellular properties on the coupling between hydrodynamic and receptor-ligand bond forces, and successfully explains the stable leukocyte rolling at a wide range of shear rates over that of rigid microspheres.     

Biomechanics of cell rolling: shear flow, cell-surface adhesion, and cell deformability

The mechanics of leukocyte (white blood cell; WBC) deformation and adhesion to endothelial cells (EC) has been investigated using a novel in vitro side-view flow assay. HL-60 cell rolling adhesion to surface-immobilized P-selectin was used to model the WBC-EC adhesion process. Changes in flow shear stress, cell deformability, or substrate ligand strength resulted in significant changes in the characteristic adhesion binding time, cell-surface contact and cell rolling velocity. A 2-D model indicated that cell-substrate contact area under a high wall shear stress (20 dyn/cm2) could be nearly twice of that under a low stress (0.5 dyn/cm2) due to shear flow-induced cell deformation. An increase in contact area resulted in more energy dissipation to both adhesion bonds and viscous cytoplasm, whereas the fluid energy that inputs to a cell decreased due to a flattened cell shape. The model also predicted a plateau of WBC rolling velocity as flow shear stresses further increased. Both experimental and computational studies have described how WBC deformation influences the WBC-EC adhesion process in shear flow.     

Influence of cell deformation on leukocyte rolling adhesion in shear flow

Blood cell interaction with vascular endothelium is important in microcirculation, where rolling adhesion of circulating leukocytes along the surface of endothelial cells is a prerequisite for leukocyte emigration under flow conditions. HL-60 cell rolling adhesion to surface-immobilized P-selectin in shear flow was investigated using a side-view flow chamber, which permitted measurements of cell deformation and cell-substrate contact length as well as cell rolling velocity. A two-dimensional model was developed based on the assumption that fluid energy input to a rolling cell was essentially distributed into two parts: cytoplasmic viscous dissipation, and energy needed to break adhesion bonds between the rolling cell and its substrate. The flow fields of extracellular fluid and intracellular cytoplasm were solved using finite element methods with a deformable cell membrane represented by an elastic ring. The adhesion energy loss was calculated based on receptor-ligand kinetics equations. It was found that, as a result of shear-flow-induced cell deformation, cell-substrate contact area under high wall shear stresses (20 dyn/cm2) could be as much as twice of that under low stresses (0.5 dyn/cm2). An increase in contact area may cause more energy dissipation to both adhesion bonds and viscous cytoplasm, whereas the fluid energy input may decrease due to the flattened cell shape. Our model predicts that leukocyte rolling velocity will reach a plateau as shear stress increases, which agrees with both in vivo and in vitro experimental observations.     

Dynamic contact forces on leukocyte microvilli and their penetration of the endothelial glycocalyx

We develop a theoretical model to examine the combined effect of gravity and microvillus length heterogeneity on tip contact force (F(m)(z)) during free rolling in vitro, including the initiation of L-, P-, and E-selectin tethers and the threshold behavior at low shear. F (m)(z) grows nonlinearly with shear. At shear stress of 1 dyn/cm(2), F(m)(z) is one to two orders of magnitude greater than the 0.1 pN force for gravitational settling without flow. At shear stresses > 0.2 dyn/cm(2) only the longest microvilli contact the substrate; hence at the shear threshold (0.4 dyn/cm(2) for L-selectin), only 5% of microvilli can initiate tethering interaction. The characteristic time for tip contact is surprisingly short, typically 0.1-1 ms. This model is then applied in vivo to explore the free-rolling interaction of leukocyte microvilli with endothelial glycocalyx and the necessary conditions for glycocalyx penetration to initiate cell rolling. The model predicts that for arteriolar capillaries even the longest microvilli cannot initiate rolling, except in regions of low shear or flow reversal. In postcapillary venules, where shear stress is approximately 2 dyn/cm(2), tethering interactions are highly likely, provided that there are some relatively long microvilli. Once tethering is initiated, rolling tends to ensue because F(m)(z) and contact duration will both increase substantially to facilitate glycocalyx penetration by the shorter microvilli.     

Computational study of cell adhesion and rolling in flow channel by meshfree method

Tethering and rolling of circulating leukocytes on the surface of endothelium are critical steps during an inflammatory response. A soft solid cell model was proposed to study monocytes tethering and rolling behaviors on substrate surface in shear flow. The interactions between monocytes and micro-channel surface were modeled by a coarse-grained molecular adhesive potential. The computational model was implemented in a Lagrange-type meshfree Galerkin formulation to investigate the monocyte tethering and rolling process with different flow rates. From the simulation results, it was found that the flow rate has profound effects on the rolling velocity, contact area and effective stress of monocytes. As the flow rate increased, the rolling velocity would increase linearly, whereas the contact area and average effective stress in monocyte showed nonlinear increase.     

Leukocyte rolling on P-selectin: a three-dimensional numerical study of the effect of cytoplasmic viscosity

Rolling leukocytes deform and show a large area of contact with endothelium under physiological flow conditions. We studied the effect of cytoplasmic viscosity on leukocyte rolling using our three-dimensional numerical algorithm that treats leukocyte as a compound droplet in which the core phase (nucleus) and the shell phase (cytoplasm) are viscoelastic fluids. The algorithm includes the mechanical properties of the cell cortex by cortical tension and considers leukocyte microvilli that deform viscoelastically and form viscous tethers at supercritical force. Stochastic binding kinetics describes binding of adhesion molecules. The leukocyte cytoplasmic viscosity plays a critical role in leukocyte rolling on an adhesive substrate. High-viscosity cells are characterized by high mean rolling velocities, increased temporal fluctuations in the instantaneous velocity, and a high probability for detachment from the substrate. A decrease in the rolling velocity, drag, and torque with the formation of a large, flat contact area in low-viscosity cells leads to a dramatic decrease in the bond force and stable rolling. Using values of viscosity consistent with step aspiration studies of human neutrophils (5-30 Pa·s), our computational model predicts the velocities and shape changes of rolling leukocytes as observed in vitro and in vivo.     

Cell-free rolling mediated by L-selectin and sialyl Lewis(x) reveals the shear threshold effect

The selectin family of adhesion molecules mediates attachment and rolling of neutrophils to stimulated endothelial cells. This step of the inflammatory response is a prerequisite to firm attachment and extravasation. We have reported that microspheres coated with sialyl Lewis(x) (sLe(x)) interact specifically and roll over E-selectin and P-selectin substrates (Brunk et al., 1996; Rodgers et al 2000). This paper extends the use of the cell-free system to the study of the interactions between L-selectin and sLe(x) under flow. We find that sLe(x) microspheres specifically interact with and roll on L-selectin substrates. Rolling velocity increases with wall shear stress and decreases with increasing L-selectin density. Rolling velocities are fast, between 25 and 225 microm/s, typical of L-selectin interactions. The variability of rolling velocity, quantified by the variance in rolling velocity, scales linearly with rolling velocity. Rolling flux varies with both wall shear stress and L-selectin site density. At a density of L-selectin of 800 sites/microm(2), the rolling flux of sLe(x) coated microspheres goes through a clear maximum with respect to shear stress at 0.7 dyne/cm(2). This behavior, in which the maintenance and promotion of rolling interactions on selectins requires shear stress above a threshold value, is known as the shear threshold effect. We found that the magnitude of the effect is greatest at an L-selectin density of 800 sites/microm(2) and gradually diminishes with increasing L-selectin site density. Our study is the first to reveal the shear threshold effect with a cell free system and the first to show the dependence of the shear threshold effect on L-selectin site density in a reconstituted system. Our ability to recreate the shear threshold effect in a cell-free system strongly suggests the origin of the effect is in the physical chemistry of L-selectin interaction with its ligand, and largely eliminates cellular features such as deformability or topography as its cause.     

Role of cytoskeleton and deformability in laminin-mediated cell rolling

Recent mathematical models show that molecular events that mediate rolling interactions also have an impact on the stochastic features of rolling. In spherical cells, statistical fluctuations in cell displacement were shown to be an indication that only a few adhesion bonds are involved in rolling interactions. In this study, we investigated whether cell shape and cell deformability could also modulate the stochastic features of rolling. As an experimental model we considered the flow-initiated rolling of MCF-10 breast epithelial cells on laminin. The dynamic adhesion of MCF-10A cells to laminin, which involves integrin alpha 6 beta 4, occurs slow enough to allow for an accurate determination of the trajectories of rolling cells. The data from high-magnification videomicroscopy showed that cell shape, cell deformability, and the level of fluid shear stress were all strong determinants of the rolling velocity and the extent of fluctuations in the trajectory of rolling cells. MCF-10A cells with large surface projections rolled faster and wobbled more extensively than spherical cells under the same flow conditions. The extent of wobbling decreased and the variation of rolling velocity increased with increasing fluid shear stress. MCF-10A cells treated with cytochalasin B, which increased cell deformability and caused extensive blebbing without significantly altering surface expression of laminin integrins, reduced mean rolling velocity and increased its variance. Because leukocytes change shape as they roll in postcapillary blood venules at high shear rates, results indicate the need for further expanding the present biophysical models of rolling to the case of deformable cells.     

Effect of microvillus deformability on leukocyte adhesion explored using adhesive dynamics simulations

Leukocyte rolling on the endothelium via selectin molecules is an important step in the adhesion cascade, which allows leukocytes in the bloodstream to reach sites of infection. We improve upon Adhesive Dynamics simulations by incorporating deformable microvilli on which adhesion molecules are clustered. As determined in micropipette experiments, microvilli deform like an elastic spring at small forces and a combination of yield and viscous dissipation at high forces. First, we create a modified version of the state diagram for adhesion which includes microvillus deformation, and find four adhesion states-firmly bound; landing; rolling; and no-adhesion. Then, we simulate the effects of receptor clustering on the tips of microvilli, number of adhesion molecules on the cell, and the spring constant of the bonds, within the context of deformable microvilli. We also explore how the microvillus rheology itself controls the dynamics of adhesion. A minimum in rolling velocity occurs at an intermediate value of the microvillus membrane viscosity, remarkably close to the reported physiological value, suggesting that the mechanics of microvilli have evolved ideally for rolling and adhesion of leukocytes. We find that a larger degree of association between the membrane and cytoskeleton leads to slower rolling, and stiffer microvilli result in faster rolling. Decreasing the overall deformability of the microvilli greatly reduces a simulated cell's ability to roll. A comparison to experimental results of in vitro cell rolling agrees with the simulation at low shear rates. Furthermore, simulated rolling trajectories of cells with deformable microvilli display periods of rolling interdispersed with pauses, consistent with that seen in experiments where microvilli were observed to stretch.     

Roles of cell and microvillus deformation and receptor-ligand binding kinetics in cell rolling

Polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) recruitment to sites of inflammation is initiated by selectin-mediated PMN tethering and rolling on activated endothelium under flow. Cell rolling is modulated by bulk cell deformation (mesoscale), microvillus deformability (microscale), and receptor-ligand binding kinetics (nanoscale). Selectin-ligand bonds exhibit a catch-slip bond behavior, and their dissociation is governed not only by the force but also by the force history. Whereas previous theoretical models have studied the significance of these three "length scales" in isolation, how their interplay affects cell rolling has yet to be resolved. We therefore developed a three-dimensional computational model that integrates the aforementioned length scales to delineate their relative contributions to PMN rolling. Our simulations predict that the catch-slip bond behavior and to a lesser extent bulk cell deformation are responsible for the shear threshold phenomenon. Cells bearing deformable rather than rigid microvilli roll slower only at high P-selectin site densities and elevated levels of shear (>or=400 s(-1)). The more compliant cells (membrane stiffness=1.2 dyn/cm) rolled slower than cells with a membrane stiffness of 3.0 dyn/cm at shear rates >50 s(-1). In summary, our model demonstrates that cell rolling over a ligand-coated surface is a highly coordinated process characterized by a complex interplay between forces acting on three distinct length scales.     

Rheological analysis and measurement of neutrophil indentation

Aspects of neutrophil mechanical behavior relevant to the formation of adhesive contacts were assessed by measuring the dependence of the contact area between the cell and a spherical substrate under controlled loading. Micropipettes were used to bring neutrophils into contact with spherical beads under known forces, and the corresponding contact area was measured over time. The neutrophil was modeled as a viscous liquid drop with a constant cortical tension. Both the equilibrium state and the dynamics of the approach to equilibrium were examined. The equilibrium contact area increased monotonically with force in a manner consistent with a cell cortical tension of 16-24 pN/microm. The dynamic response matched predictions based on a model of the cell as a growing drop using published values for the effective viscosity of the cell. The contact pressure between the cell and substrate at equilibrium is predicted to depend on the curvature of the contacting substrate, but to be independent of the impingement force. The approach to equilibrium was rapid, such that the time-averaged stress for a two-second impingement was within 20% of the equilibrium value. These results have implications for the role of mechanical force in the formation of adhesive contacts.     

A semianalytic model of leukocyte rolling

Rolling allows leukocytes to maintain adhesion to vascular endothelium and to molecularly coated surfaces in flow chambers. Using insights from adhesive dynamics, a computational method for simulating leukocyte rolling and firm adhesion, we have developed a semianalytic model for the steady-state rolling of a leukocyte. After formation in a force-free region of the contact zone, receptor-ligand bonds are transported into the trailing edge of the contact zone. Rolling velocity results from a balance of the convective flux of bonds and the rate of dissociation at the back edge of the contact zone. We compare the model's results to that of adhesive dynamics and to experimental data on the rolling of leukocytes, with good agreement. We calculate the dependence of rolling velocity on shear rate, intrinsic forward and reverse reaction rates, bond stiffness, and reactive compliance, and use the model to calculate a state diagram relating molecular parameters and the dynamic state of adhesion. A dimensionless form of the analytic model permits exploration of the parameters that control rolling. The chemical affinity of a receptor-ligand pair does not uniquely determine rolling velocity. We elucidate a fundamental relationship between off-rate, ligand density, and reactive compliance at the transition between firm and rolling adhesion. The model provides a rapid method for screening system parameters for the potential to mediate rolling.     

Simultaneous tether extraction contributes to neutrophil rolling stabilization: a model study

Neutrophil rolling is the initial step of neutrophil recruitment to sites of inflammation. During the rolling, membrane tethers are very likely extracted from both the neutrophil and the endothelial cell lining of vessel walls. Here, we present a two-dimensional neutrophil-rolling model to investigate whether and how membrane tethers contribute to stable neutrophil rolling. In our model, neutrophils are assumed to be rigid spheres covered with randomly distributed deformable microvilli, and endothelial cells are modeled as flat membrane surfaces decorated with evenly distributed ligands. The instantaneous rolling velocity and other unknowns of the model are calculated by coupling the hydrodynamic resistance functions, the geometric relationships, and the constitutive equations that govern microvillus extension and tether extraction. Our results show that glutaraldehyde-fixed neutrophils (without microvillus extension or tether extraction) roll unstably on a P-selectin-coated substrate with large variance in rolling velocity. In contrast, normal neutrophils roll much more stably, with small variance in rolling velocity. Compared with tether extraction from the neutrophil alone, simultaneous tether extraction from the neutrophil and endothelial cell greatly increases the lifetime of the adhesive bond that mediates the rolling, allows more transient tethers to make the transition into stable rolling, and enables rolling neutrophils to be more shear-resistant.     

Effect of contact time and force on monocyte adhesion to vascular endothelium

In this study we examined whether monocytic cell attachment to vascular endothelium was affected by elevating shear stress at a constant shear rate. Contact time, which is inversely related to the shear rate, was fixed and viscosity elevated with dextran to increase the shear stress (and hence the net force on the cell) independently of shear rate. At a fixed contact time, tethering frequencies increased, rolling velocities decreased, and median arrest durations increased with increasing shear stress. Rolling and short arrests (< 0.2 s) were well fit by a single exponential consistent with adhesion via the formation of a single additional bond. The cell dissociation constant, k(off), increased when the shear stress was elevated at constant shear rate. Firmly adherent cells arresting for at least 0.2 s were well fit by a stochastic model involving dissociation from multiple bonds. Therefore, at a fixed contact time and increasing shear stress, bonds formed more frequently for rolling cells resulting in more short arrests, and more bonds formed for firmly arresting cells resulting in longer arrest durations. Possible mechanisms for this increased adhesion include greater monocyte deformation and/or more frequent penetration of microvilli through steric and charge barriers.     

Adhesive dynamics simulations of the shear threshold effect for leukocytes

Many experiments have measured the effect of force on the dissociation of single selectin bonds, but it is not yet clear how the force dependence of molecular dissociation can influence the rolling of cells expressing selectin molecules. Recent experiments using constant-force atomic force microscopy or high-resolution microscopic observations of pause-time distributions of cells in a flow chamber show that for some bonds, the dissociation rate is high at low force and initially decreases with force, indicating a catch bond. As the force continues to increase, the dissociation rate increases again, like a slip bond. It has been proposed that this catch-slip bond leads to the shear threshold effect, in which a certain level of shear rate is required to achieve rolling. We have incorporated a catch-slip dissociation rate into adhesive dynamics simulations of cell rolling. Using a relatively simple model for the shear-controlled association rate for selectin bonds, we were able to recreate characteristics of the shear threshold effect seen most prominently for rolling through L-selectin. The rolling velocity as a function of shear rate showed a minimum near 100 s-1. Furthermore, cells were observed to roll at a shear rate near the threshold, but detach and move more quickly when the shear rate was dropped below the threshold. Finally, using adhesive dynamics, we were able to determine ranges of parameters necessary to see the shear threshold effect in the rolling velocity. In summary, we found through simulation that the catch-slip behavior of selectin bonds can be responsible for the shear threshold effect.     

A computational study of leukocyte adhesion and its effect on flow pattern in microvessels

Three-dimensional computational modeling and simulation are presented on the adhesive rolling of deformable leukocytes over a P-selectin coated surface in parabolic shear flow in microchannels. The computational model is based on the immersed boundary method for cell deformation and Monte Carlo simulation for receptor/ligand interaction. The simulations are continued for at least 1 s of leukocyte rolling during which the instantaneous quantities such as cell deformation index, cell/substrate contact area, and fluid drag remain statistically stationary. The characteristic ‘stop-and-go’ motion of rolling leukocytes, and the ‘tear-drop’ shape of adherent leukocytes as observed in experiments are reproduced by the simulations. We first consider the role of cell deformation and cell concentration on rolling characteristics. We observe that compliant cells roll slower and more stably than rigid cells. Our simulations agree with previous in vivo observation that the hydrodynamic interactions between nearby leukocytes affect cell rolling, and that the rolling velocity decreases inversely with the separation distance, irrespective of cell deformability. We also find that cell deformation decreases, and the cells roll more stably with reduced velocity fluctuation, as the cell concentration is increased. However, the effect of nearby cells on the rolling characteristics is found to be more significant for rigid cells than compliant cells. We then address the effect of cell deformability and rolling velocity on the flow resistance due to, and the fluid drag on, adherent leukocytes. While several earlier computational works have addressed this problem, two key features of leukocyte adhesion, such as cell deformation and rolling, were often neglected. Our results suggest that neglecting cell deformability and rolling velocity may significantly overpredict the flow resistance and drag force. Increasing the cell concentration is shown to increase the flow resistance and reduce the fluid drag. The reduced drag then results in slower and more stable rolling of the leukocytes with longer pause time and shorter step distance. But the increase/decrease in the flow resistance/fluid drag due to the increase in the cell concentration is observed to be more significant in case of rigid cells than compliant cells.     

Glycoprotein (GP) Ib-IX-transfected cells roll on a von Willebrand factor matrix under flow. Importance of the GPib/actin-binding protein (ABP-280) interaction in maintaining adhesion under high shear

Adhesion of platelets to sites of vascular injury is critical for hemostasis and thrombosis and is dependent on the binding of the vascular adhesive protein von Willebrand factor (vWf) to the glycoprotein (GP) Ib-V-IX complex on the platelet surface. A unique but poorly defined characteristic of this receptor/ligand interaction is its ability to support platelet adhesion under conditions of high shear stress. To examine the structural domains of the GPIb-V-IX complex involved in mediating cell adhesion under flow, we have expressed partial (GPIb-IX), complete (GPIb-V-IX), and mutant (GPIbalpha cytoplasmic tail mutants) receptor complexes on the surface of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells and examined their ability to adhere to a vWf matrix in flow-based adhesion assays. Our studies demonstrate that the partial receptor complex (GPIb-IX) supports CHO cell tethering and rolling on a bovine or human vWf matrix under flow. The adhesion was specifically inhibited by an anti-GPIbalpha blocking antibody (AK2) and was not observed with CHO cells expressing GPIbbeta and GPIX alone. The velocity of rolling was dependent on the level of shear stress, receptor density, and matrix concentration and was not altered by the presence of GPV. In contrast to selectins, which mediate cell rolling under conditions of low shear (20-200 s-1), GPIb-IX was able to support cell rolling at both venous (150 s-1) and arterial (1500-10,500 s-1) shear rates. Studies with a mutant GPIbalpha receptor subunit lacking the binding domain for actin-binding protein demonstrated that the association of the receptor complex with the membrane skeleton is not essential for cell tethering or rolling under low shear conditions, but is critical for maintaining adhesion at high shear rates (3000-6000 s-1). These studies demonstrate that the GPIb-IX complex is sufficient to mediate cell rolling on a vWf matrix at both venous and arterial levels of shear independent of other platelet adhesion receptors. Furthermore, our results suggest that the association between GPIbalpha and actin-binding protein plays an important role in enabling cells to remain tethered to a vWf matrix under conditions of high shear stress.     

The LFA-1 integrin supports rolling adhesions on ICAM-1 under physiological shear flow in a permissive cellular environment

The LFA-1 integrin is crucial for the firm adhesion of circulating leukocytes to ICAM-1-expressing endothelial cells. In the present study, we demonstrate that LFA-1 can arrest unstimulated PBL subsets and lymphoblastoid Jurkat cells on immobilized ICAM-1 under subphysiological shear flow and mediate firm adhesion to ICAM-1 after short static contact. However, LFA-1 expressed in K562 cells failed to support firm adhesion to ICAM-1 but instead mediated K562 cell rolling on the endothelial ligand under physiological shear stress. LFA-1-mediated rolling required an intact LFA-1 I-domain, was enhanced by Mg2+, and was sharply dependent on ICAM-1 density. This is the first indication that LFA-1 can engage in rolling adhesions with ICAM-1 under physiological shear flow. The ability of LFA-1 to support rolling correlates with decreased avidity and impaired time-dependent adhesion strengthening. A beta2 cytoplasmic domain-deletion mutant of LFA-1, with high avidity to immobilized ICAM-1, mediated firm arrests of K562 cells interacting with ICAM-1 under shear flow. Our results suggest that restrictions in LFA-1 clustering mediated by cytoskeletal attachments may lock the integrin into low-avidity states in particular cellular environments. Although low-avidity LFA-1 states fail to undergo adhesion strengthening upon contact with ICAM-1 at stasis, these states are permissive for leukocyte rolling on ICAM-1 under physiological shear flow. Rolling mediated by low-avidity LFA-1 interactions with ICAM-1 may stabilize rolling initiated by specialized vascular rolling receptors and allow the leukocyte to arrest on vascular endothelium upon exposure to stimulatory endothelial signals.     

Dimethylsulfoxide exposure modulates HL-60 cell rolling interactions

Human leukaemic HL-60 cells are widely used for studying interactions involving adhesion molecules [e.g. P-selectin and PSGL-1 (P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1)] since their rolling behaviour has been shown to mimic the dynamics of leucocyte rolling in vitro. HL-60 cells are neutrophilic promyelocytes that can undergo granulocytic differentiation upon exposure to compounds such as DMSO (dimethylsulfoxide). Using a parallel plate flow chamber functionalized with recombinant P-selectin-Fc chimaera, undifferentiated and DMSO-induced (48, 72 and 96?h) HL-60 cells were assayed for rolling behaviour. We found that depending on P-selectin incubation concentration, undifferentiated cells incurred up to a 6-fold increase in rolling velocity while subjected to an approximately 10-fold increase in biologically relevant shear stress. HL-60 cells exposed to DMSO for up to 72?h incurred up to a 3-fold increase in rolling velocity over the same shear stress range. Significantly, cells exposed for up to 96?h incurred up to a 9-fold decrease in rolling velocity, compared with undifferentiated HL-60 cells. Although cell surface and nuclear morphological changes were evident upon exposure to DMSO, flow cytometric analysis revealed that PSGL-1 expression was unchanged, irrespective of treatment duration. The results suggest that DMSO-treated HL-60 cells may be problematic as a substitute for neutrophils for trafficking studies during advanced stages of the LAC (leucocyte adhesion cascade). We suggest that remodelling of the cell surface during differentiation may affect rolling behaviour and that DMSO-treated HL-60 cells would behave differently from the normal leucocytes during inflammatory response in vivo.     

Dynamic adhesion of umbilical cord blood endothelial progenitor cells under laminar shear stress

Late outgrowth endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) represent a promising cell source for rapid reendothelialization of damaged vasculature after expansion ex vivo and injection into the bloodstream. We characterized the dynamic adhesion of umbilical-cord-blood-derived EPCs (CB-EPCs) to surfaces coated with fibronectin. CB-EPC solution density affected the number of adherent cells and larger cells preferentially adhered at lower cell densities. The number of adherent cells varied with shear stress, with the maximum number of adherent cells and the shear stress at maximum adhesion depending upon fluid viscosity. CB-EPCs underwent limited rolling, transiently tethering for short distances before firm arrest. Immediately before arrest, the instantaneous velocity decreased independent of shear stress. A dimensional analysis indicated that adhesion was a function of the net force on the cells, the ratio of cell diffusion to sliding speed, and molecular diffusivity. Adhesion was not limited by the settling rate and was highly specific to α₅β₁ integrin. Total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy showed that CB-EPCs produced multiple contacts of α₅β₁ with the surface and the contact area grew during the first 20 min of attachment. These results demonstrate that CB-EPC adhesion from blood can occur under physiological levels of shear stress.