For a vesicle bound to a substrate, a theory is introduced that relates its macroscopic shape with the mesoscopic fluctuations of its bound part self-consistently. Based on a novel form of the steric interaction, which covers both the rigidity-dominated and tension-dominated regimes, the conditions under which vesicles undergo tension-induced adhesion are shown to be very restrictive. Implications for the interpretation of a recent experiment by Rädler et al. [Phys. Rev. E 51, 4526 (1995)] are discussed.

• Received 20 January 1995

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.74.5060