Shear-Induced Extensional Response Behaviors of Tethered von Willebrand Factor.

ABSTRACT: We perform single-molecule flow experiments using confocal microscopy and a microfluidic device for shear rates up to 20,000 s^-1 and present results for the shear-induced unraveling and elongation of tethered von Willebrand factor (VWF) multimers. Further, we employ companion Brownian dynamics simulations to help explain details of our experimental observations using a parameterized coarse-grained model of VWF. We show that global conformational changes of tethered VWF can be accurately captured using a relatively simple mechanical model. Good agreement is found between experimental results and computational predictions for the threshold shear rate of extension, existence of nonhomogenous fluorescence distributions along unraveled multimer contours, and large variations in exten

SUBMITTER: Wang Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6554656 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature