Please join us for the Molecular and Cell Biology Tuesday Seminar Series 2/4: Dr. Clare Waterman, Director, Cell and Development Biology Center, National Institutes of Health
Tuesday, 2/4/2020, BPB 131, Refreshments 3:15, Seminar 3:30
Hosted by Juliet Lee
“Integrating actin and adhesion dynamics in cell migration and innate immunity”
Summary: When cells move directionally through the extracellular matrix (ECM) of complex glycoproteins that make up their environment, they do so by protruding their surface membrane in the direction of migration, forming stable focal adhesions of the protrusion to the ECM, pulling against the adhesion to move the cell body forward, and dissolving the older adhesion sites at the back to retract the rear edge. When integrin receptors on the cell surface bind to glycoproteins in the ECM, this generates signals that regulate the speed and direction of migration. Dr. Waterman is focused on integration of the actin dynamics in the cell with the integrin signals from the ECM that direct cellular motility, and how these processes may be co-opted by immune cells to help them ingest pathogens to fight infection.
Dr. Waterman pioneered the invention and application of novel quantitative and super-resolution light microscopy methods. She utilized these tools to reveal the architectural blueprint and dynamics of protein-based nano-machines that self-assemble in cells to generate, organize, and transmit the forces that drive cell movement, and she defined molecular pathways governing the orchestration of these protein machines in space and time.
To learn more about Dr. Waterman’s research, visit her website and her abstract
For more information, contact: Ciara Hanlon at ciara.hanlon@uconn.edu