Mechanical characterization of cell signaling pathways

研究导致细胞形态重塑的分子过程是理解细胞功能（如粘附、运动、分化和屏障功能调节）的关键。在一定程度上，这些功能可以通过光学显微镜技术通过荧光标记细胞成分，如膜元素、细胞骨架或各种细胞质蛋白来评估。尽管这些实验提供了丰富的信息，但在细胞过程中单个元素的参与方面仍有很多东西需要学习。我的研究兴趣集中在发生在单个细胞水平上的机械和结构相关的分子过程。对控制生理功能的分子过程的探索大大受益于允许对细胞机械和结构活动进行无标记检测的新技术的出现。原子力显微镜（AFM）在力测量模式和光阱可以用来研究大量的机械相关的细胞事件在单个活细胞具有很大的力和空间灵敏度。对细胞层结构变化的监测也可以通过表面等离子体共振（SPR）进行，这是一种对表面附近发生的质量运动非常敏感的技术。正如我们最近的进展所表明的那样，这些技术在细胞生物学中的应用将为深入理解生理背景下细胞运动和形态调节的相关机制提供重要信息。

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.