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MIT Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
EECS Event |
Tuesday, July 11, 2000
4:00 PM (refreshments 3:30)
Grier Room, Room 34-401B
Nanostructures Seminar Series
Abstract
All the fundamental functions in cell morphogenesis (cell shape formation, cell movement, and cell attachment in tissue and cell-substrate configurations) are thought to depend on a molecular machinery that dynamically polymerizes and depolymerizes. In this presentation we discuss techniques for visualizing and quantifying the spatial as well as the biochemical kinematics of this engine. We demonstrate new ways of light microscopy, which allow us to measure protein movements in living cells with single nanometer sensitivity. Finally, we discuss the mechanical implications of our results and propose a new model of the mechanism involved in morphogenesis.