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CDB Seminar: Heraclitus and the Cytoskeleton: Understanding the nature of self-assembling biological materials, Dr Dyche Mullins, Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California
Abstract: Branched actin networks are self-assembling molecular motors whose components are conserved across eukaryotic phyla. The primary function of branched actin networks is to move membranes during a variety of essential cell biological processes, including: amoeboid motility, phagocytosis, endocytosis, cell-cell adhesion, cell fusion, and autophagy. Inspired by earlier work on molecular motors, such as myosin and kinesin, we have worked to produce an integrated, biophysical description of actin network motor activity. We find that the architecture and mechanics of branched actin networks are governed by positive and negative feedback loops that lie at the heart of their self-assembly mechanism, and that physical forces modulate network architecture by exerting differential effects on key steps in the self-assembly process.