Multiscale Modelling of the Poroviscoelastic Rheology of Cell Cytoplasm

Multiscale Modelling of the Poroviscoelastic Rheology of Cell Cytoplasm | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Multiscale Modelling of the Poroviscoelastic Rheology of Cell Cytoplasm Namshad Thekkethil, Jakub K\"{o}ry, Ming Guo, Peter S. Stewart, and 2 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3687649/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 7 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Eukaryotic cell rheology has important consequences for vital processes such as adhesion, migration, and differentiation. Experiments indicate that cell cytoplasm can exhibit both elastic and viscous characteristics in different regimes, while the transport of fluid (cytosol) through the cross-linked filamentous scaffold (cytoskeleton) is reminiscent of mass transfer by diffusion through a porous medium. To gain insights into this complex rheological behaviour, we construct a multi-scale computational model for the cell cytoplasm as a poroviscoelastic material formulated on the principles of nonlinear continuum mechanics, where we model the cytoplasm as a porous viscoelastic scaffold with an embedded viscous fluid flowing between the pores to model the cytosol. Baseline simulations (neglecting the viscosity of the cytosol) indicate that the system exhibits seven different regimes across the parameter space spanned by the viscoelastic relaxation timescale of the cytoskeleton and the poroelastic diffusion timescale; these regimes agree qualitatively with experimental measurements. Furthermore, the theoretical model also allows us to elucidate the additional role of pore fluid viscosity, which enters the system as a distinct viscous timescale. We show that increasing this viscous timescale hinders the passage of the pore fluid (reducing the poroelastic diffusion) and makes the cytoplasm rheology increasingly incompressible, shifting the phase boundaries between the regimes. Cytoplasm rheology Poroelasticity Viscoelasticity Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 08 Feb, 2024 Reviews received at journal 23 Dec, 2023 Reviewers agreed at journal 15 Dec, 2023 Reviewers invited by journal 13 Dec, 2023 Editor assigned by journal 02 Dec, 2023 Submission checks completed at journal 30 Nov, 2023 First submitted to journal 30 Nov, 2023 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-3687649","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":255507461,"identity":"e6c2a3bc-2c04-4544-bb36-c6db7b0ddad3","order_by":0,"name":"Namshad Thekkethil","email":"data:image/png;base64,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","orcid":"","institution":"University of Glasgow","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Namshad","middleName":"","lastName":"Thekkethil","suffix":""},{"id":255507462,"identity":"ff856982-f4e0-4097-85d7-b0b6b4333b6b","order_by":1,"name":"Jakub K\\\"{o}ry","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Glasgow","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Jakub","middleName":"","lastName":"K\\\"{o}ry","suffix":""},{"id":255507463,"identity":"cf34dc5b-eb55-4384-ab9b-5f76625ea0d5","order_by":2,"name":"Ming Guo","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Massachusetts Institute of Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ming","middleName":"","lastName":"Guo","suffix":""},{"id":255507464,"identity":"4ceb2df8-8c2f-4273-ab5e-efc13db00d0a","order_by":3,"name":"Peter S. 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Experiments indicate that cell cytoplasm can exhibit both elastic and viscous characteristics in different regimes, while the transport of fluid (cytosol) through the cross-linked filamentous scaffold (cytoskeleton) is reminiscent of mass transfer by diffusion through a porous medium. To gain insights into this complex rheological behaviour, we construct a multi-scale computational model for the cell cytoplasm as a poroviscoelastic material formulated on the principles of nonlinear continuum mechanics, where we model the cytoplasm as a porous viscoelastic scaffold with an embedded viscous fluid flowing between the pores to model the cytosol. Baseline simulations (neglecting the viscosity of the cytosol) indicate that the system exhibits seven different regimes across the parameter space spanned by the viscoelastic relaxation timescale of the cytoskeleton and the poroelastic diffusion timescale; these regimes agree qualitatively with experimental measurements. 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