title: Internal tension in a collapsed polymer under shear flow and the connection to enzymatic cleavage of von Willebrand factor.
abstract: By means of Brownian hydrodynamics simulations we show that the tension distribution along the contour of a single collapsed polymer in shear flow is inhomogeneous and above a threshold shear rate exhibits a double-peak structure when hydrodynamic interactions are taken into account. We argue that the tension maxima close to the termini of the polymer chain reflect the presence of polymeric protrusions. We establish the connection to shear-induced globule unfolding and determine the scaling behavior of the maximal tensile forces and the average protrusion length as a function of shear rate, globule size, and cohesive strength. A quasi-equilibrium theory is employed in order to describe the simulation results. Our results are used to explain experimental data for the shear-sensitive enzymatic degradation of von Willebrand factor.
authors.affiliation: Fachbereich Physik, Freie Universität Berlin, Arnimallee 14, 14195, Berlin, Germany. radtkem@zedat.fu-berlin.de.
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Radtke
authors.affiliation: Fakultät für Physik, der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Schellingstraße 4, 80799, München, Germany.
authors.forename: Svenja
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lippok
authors.affiliation: Fakultät für Physik, der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Schellingstraße 4, 80799, München, Germany.
authors.forename: Joachim O
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Rädler
authors.affiliation: Fachbereich Physik, Freie Universität Berlin, Arnimallee 14, 14195, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Roland R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Netz
mesh_terms: D000071120:ADAMTS13 Protein / Q000378:metabolism*; D057446:Hydrodynamics; D007700:Kinetics; D008958:Models, Molecular; D000072417:Protein Domains; D058767:Protein Unfolding; D059748:Proteolysis; D033081:Shear Strength; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D013718:Tensile Strength; D014841:von Willebrand Factor / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D014841:von Willebrand Factor; D000071120:ADAMTS13 Protein
keywords: Soft Matter: Polymers and Polyelectrolytes