Mechanical characterization of cell signaling pathways

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Investigation of molecular processes leading to cell morphological remodelling is key to understanding cellular function such as adhesion, motility, differentiation and the modulation of barrier functions. These functions can be, to a certain extent, assessed by optical microscopy techniques by fluorescently labelling constituents of the cell such as element of the membrane, the cytoskeleton or the various cytosolic proteins. Despite the wealth of information provided by these experiments, there is still a lot to be learned on the involvement of individual elements in cellular processes. My research interest focus at mechanically and structurally relevant molecular processes occurring at the level of individual cells. The exploration of molecular processes governing physiological functions has significantly benefited from the emergence of novel techniques allowing for label free detection of cellular mechanical and structural activity. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) in force measurement mode and the optical trap can be used to investigate a multitude of mechanically relevant cellular events in individual living cells with great force and spatial sensitivity. The monitoring of structural changes occurring in cell layer are also amendable to surface plasmon resonance (SPR) which is a technique exquisitely sensitive to mass movement occurring in the vicinity of a surface. As demonstrated in our recent progress, the application of these techniques in cell biology will provides crucial information for an in-depth understanding of mechanisms related to cellular movement and morphological regulation in physiological context.