Dynamics of transient pores in stretched vesicles

Olivier Sandre (1, 2) , Laurent Moreaux (1, 3) , Françoise Brochard-Wyart (1)

1 PCC - Laboratoire Physico-Chimie Curie [Institut Curie]
2 LCPO - Laboratoire de Chimie des Polymères Organiques
3 U1128 - Laboratoire de Neurophysiologie et Nouvelles Microscopies

We image macroscopic transient pores in mechanically stretched giant vesicles. Holes open above a critical radius rc1 , grow up to a radius rc2 , and close. We interpret the upper limit rc2 by a relaxation of the membrane tension as the holes expand. The closing of the holes is caused by a further relaxation of the surface tension when the internal liquid leaks out. A dynamic model fits our data for the growth and closure of pores.

Domaines: Matière Molle [cond-mat.soft]

Olivier Sandre, Laurent Moreaux, Françoise Brochard-Wyart. Dynamics of transient pores in stretched vesicles. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 1999, 96 (19), pp.10591-10596. ⟨10.1073/pnas.96.19.10591⟩. ⟨hal-01920243⟩