Research
Multicomponent regulation of actin dynamics
Dynamic remodelling of the actin cytoskeleton is essential in many key processes such as cell migration, cell division and cell morphogenesis. Our goal is to understand how emergent cellular actin dynamics arises from complex interplay between numerous actin regulatory proteins (and complexes) and mechanical forces.
Mechanochemical regulation of actin dynamics
Actin filaments not only generate forces, but their dynamics are in turn affected by external mechanical forces such as those arising from membrane tension and the extracellular matrix. We use optical traps, magnetic tweezers and microfluidic flow-induced drag forces to investigate how the biochemical interactions of regulatory proteins with actin filaments are mediated and modulated by mechanical perturbations.
Our single molecule toolbox at the nanoscale
Microfluidics
Optical and Magnetic tweezers
Total internal reflection microscopy
Multispectral single molecule imaging