Topic: The Molecular Mechanisms of the Mechanosensing at Cell Adhesions
Time: July 26th (Tuesday) at 10: 00 am (Beijing Time)
Speaker: Prof. Shimin LE
VooV Meeting: 133-331-755
Inviter: Prof. Hu CHEN
Abstract: Cells contact and sense the extracellular environment through the formation of focal adhesions (FAs) with the extracellular matrix (ECM). They can also communicate with neighboring cells through the formation of cell-cell adhesions, such as adherens junctions (AJs). These physicochemical cell-matrix or cell-cell communications are mainly carried out through physical linkages of mechanosensitive proteins enriched at these adhesion sites, such as talin, vinculin at FAs, and -catenin and vinculin at AJs. How these proteins sense and response to the mechanical forces within a physiological level are the fundamental questions of the cell mechanotransduction. We have developed and/or utilized multiple scale mechanical manipulation technologies, including single-molecule manipulation, single-filament manipulation, single-cell manipulations technologies, to probe the mechano-chemical responses of the critical mechanosensitive proteins, and unveil the molecular mechanisms of the mechanosensing at cell adhesions.