Understanding the dynamic cell membrane
All cells have membranes that serve as its interface with its immediate environment. These membranes are lipid bilayers composed of thousands of different lipid and protein species whose composition is tightly regulated. While the mechanisms governing this regulation are poorly understood, its organization at the small (nanometer) and medium (micron) scale have also been the subject of intense research for decades. Our aim is to understand the machinery that is responsible for functional organisation of the membrane in space and time in a living cell. Not only will this provide a window into how the membrane influences the functioning of the cell, it also opens a window into how the cell constructs a living material.
The cell membrane is a dynamic interface that controls material exchange, signalling and cellular responses. Its complex and asymmetric composition is actively organised by the cytoskeleton, lipid transporters, membrane contact sites and trafficking pathways. We study how local changes in membrane composition and shape influence receptors, signalling and cell behaviour. We also investigate how cells generate specialised membrane domains that lead to non-clathrin and dynamin-independent endocytosis that in turn participates in the regulation of membrane tension. Our work combines new membrane probes, high-resolution microscopy, protein conformational analysis and in vitro reconstitution with tools that measure membrane biophysical properties, such as lipid packing and tension. Working across diverse model systems and disciplines, we aim to understand the cell membrane as an active living material.
Cell cinema
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