Contact Information
Department of Physics525 Northwestern Avenue
West Lafayette, IN
47907-2036
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(765) 494-2970
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(765) 494-0706
Sanjeevi Sivasankar
Iowa State University
Resolving cell adhesion at the single molecule level
Monday April 04, 2011
3:30pm PHYS 203
Unless otherwise noted, seminars are held on Mondays at 3:30 p.m. in Physics Room 203. Coffee served at 3:15pm in Phys 244.
Cadherin cell adhesion proteins are essential for tissue formation, for maintaining tissue integrity and for resisting mechanical stress. Disruption of cadherin adhesion is common in metastatic cancers and in tissue fragility diseases. However, the molecular interactions that mediate cadherin adhesion are controversial. Resolving these interactions are critical for understanding how cells adhere, dynamically modulate adhesion and transduce mechanical forces into intracellular signals. In my talk I will present our recent results using single molecule Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) and force measurements with the Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) to directly determine the molecular mechanisms of cadherin adhesion and the role of key amino acids in cadherin binding. Using single molecule AFM force spectroscopy, we have also recently identified multiple energy barriers that enhance the lifetime of cadherin bonds and permit them to resist mechanical force.