A5041276522- Cellular Mechanics and Interactions
- Force Microscopy Techniques and Applications
- Advanced Fluorescence Microscopy Techniques
- Cardiomyopathy and Myosin Studies
- Biocrusts and Microbial Ecology
- Microtubule and mitosis dynamics
- 3D Printing in Biomedical Research
- Cell Image Analysis Techniques
- Polymer Surface Interaction Studies
- Heat and Mass Transfer in Porous Media
- Cellular transport and secretion
- Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials
- Neuroscience and Neural Engineering
- bioluminescence and chemiluminescence research
- Phase Equilibria and Thermodynamics
- Blood properties and coagulation
- Surface Modification and Superhydrophobicity
- Paraquat toxicity studies and treatments
- Plant Pathogenic Bacteria Studies
- Graphene and Nanomaterials Applications
- Biochemical and Structural Characterization
- Adsorption and Cooling Systems
- Plant and fungal interactions
- MXene and MAX Phase Materials
- Animal Nutrition and Physiology
University of Central Florida
2018-2024
Yale University
2011-2017
Brown University
2005-2010
University of Pennsylvania
2009
Institute of Physics
2005
Chinese Academy of Sciences
2005
Many biomaterials formed by cross-linked semiflexible or rigid filaments exhibit nonlinear theology in the form of strain-stiffening and negative normal stress when samples are deformed simple shear geometry. Two different classes theoretical models have been developed to explain this elastic response, which is neither predicted rubber elasticity theory nor observed elastomers gels flexible polymers. One model considers response isotropic networks polymers that force-elongation relations...
A globally imminent shortage of freshwater has been demanding viable strategies for improving desalination efficiencies with the adoption cost- and energy-efficient membrane materials. The recently explored 2D transition metal dichalcogenides (2D TMDs) near atomic thickness have envisioned to offer notable advantages as high-efficiency membranes owing their structural uniqueness; that is, extremely small intrinsic porosity. Despite theoretically projected advantages, experimental realization...
The assembly of actin monomers into filaments and networks plays vital roles throughout eukaryotic biology, including intracellular transport, cell motility, division, determining cellular shape, providing cells with mechanical strength. regulation modulation filament properties are critical for proper function. It is well established that physiological salt concentrations promote alter the overall bending mechanics assembled networks. However, molecular origins these salt-dependent effects,...
Significance Cofilin is an essential actin regulatory protein that severs filaments, which accelerates network remodeling by increasing the concentration of filament ends available for elongation and subunit exchange. The molecular basis how cofilin binding interactions fragment have stiffness comparable to commercial laboratory plastics, remains a central unresolved mystery cellular cytoskeleton reorganization. In this study we demonstrate severing vertebrate driven linked dissociation...
Cytoskeletal polymers play a fundamental role in the responses of cells to both external and internal stresses. Quantitative knowledge mechanical properties those is essential for developing predictive models cell mechanics mechano-sensing. Linear cytoskeletal polymers, such as actin filaments microtubules, can grow cellular length scales at which they behave semiflexible that undergo thermally-driven shape deformations. Bending deformations are often modeled using wormlike chain model. A...
Many biological processes, including cell division, growth, and motility, rely on rapid remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton filament severing by regulatory protein cofilin. Phosphorylation vertebrate cofilin at Ser-3 regulates both binding severing. Substitution serine with aspartate position 3 (S3D) is widely used to mimic phosphorylation in cells vitro. The S3D substitution weakens filaments, it presumed that subsequent reduction occupancy inhibits severing, but this hypothesis has...
The structural and mechanical properties of actin bundles are essential to eukaryotic cells, aiding in cell motility support the plasma membrane. Bundle formation occurs crowded intracellular environments composed various ions macromolecules. Although roles cations macromolecular crowding mechanics organization have been independently established, how changing both environmental conditions influence bundle at nanoscale has yet be established. Here we investigate electrostatics depletion...
Actin bundles are key factors in the mechanical support and dynamic reorganization of cytoskeleton. High concentrations multivalent counterions promote bundle formation through electrostatic attraction between actin filaments that negatively charged polyelectrolytes. In this study, we evaluate how physiologically relevant divalent cations affect mechanical, dynamic, structural properties bundles. Using a combination total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy, transmission electron...
Gelsolin is a calcium (Ca 2+ ) dependent, pH sensitive actin-binding protein that regulates actin filament dynamics to remodel the cytoskeleton. It known gelsolin binding induces conformational changes of filaments, leading severing. However, influence physiological conditions, such as variations, on gelsolin-mediated severing activities, mechanics and conformations remains unclear despite their role in actin-actin interactions. Using Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy...
Actin plays critical roles in various cellular functions, including cell morphogenesis, differentiation, and movement. The assembly of actin monomers into double-helical filaments is regulated surrounding microenvironments. Graphene an attractive nanomaterial that has been used biomaterial applications, such as drug delivery cargo scaffold for cells, due to its unique physical chemical properties. Although several studies have shown the potential effects graphene on at level, direct...
Gelsolin is a calcium-regulated actin binding protein that severs and caps filaments. Gelsolin's severing activity important for regulating filament assembly dynamics are required cell motility as well survival. The majority of in vitro studies gelsolin have been performed dilute buffer conditions which do not simulate the molecular interactions occurring crowded intracellular environment. We hypothesize crowding results greater due to induced conformational changes filaments and/or...
Actin polymerization drives cell movement and provides cells with structural integrity. Intracellular environments contain high concentrations of solutes, including organic compounds, macromolecules, proteins. Macromolecular crowding has been shown to affect actin filament stability bulk kinetics. However, the molecular mechanisms behind how influences individual assembly are not well understood. In this study, we investigated modulates kinetics using total internal reflection fluorescence...
The cellular environment is crowded with high concentrations of macromolecules that significantly reduce accessible volume for biomolecular interactions. Reductions in can generate depletion forces affect protein assembly and stability. mechanical structural properties actin filaments play critical roles various functions, including support, cell movement, division, intracellular transport. Although the effects molecular crowding on polymerization have been shown, how environments filament...
The mechanical and structural properties of actin cytoskeleton drive various cellular processes, including support the plasma membrane motility. Actin monomers assemble into double-stranded helical filaments as well higher-ordered structures such bundles networks. Cells incorporate macromolecular crowding, cation interactions, actin-crosslinking proteins to regulate organization bundles. Although roles each these factors in bundling have been well-known individually, how combined contribute...
Fascin and α-actinin form higher-ordered actin bundles that mediate numerous cellular processes including cell morphogenesis movement. While it is understood crosslinked bundle formation occurs in crowded cytoplasm, how crowding affects the bundling activities of two crosslinking proteins not known. Here, we demonstrate solution modulates organization mechanical properties fascin- α-actinin-induced bundles, utilizing total internal reflection fluorescence atomic force microscopy imaging....
The essential cytoskeletal protein actin and its functions are paramount for motility, communication, locomotive processes in eukaryotic cells. Detection quantification of is great interest <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">in vitro</i> studies potentially elucidating unknown cellular mechanisms affecting drug responses with an extension to the study disease states (e.g., neurodegenerative disorders). To this end, development...
Abstract Actin filament assembly and mechanics are crucial for maintenance of cell structure, motility, division. occurs in a crowded intracellular environment consisting various types molecules, including small organic molecules known as osmolytes. Ample evidence highlights the protective functions osmolytes such trimethylamine‐N‐oxide (TMAO), their effects on protein stability ability to counteract cellular osmotic stress. Yet, how TMAO affects individual actin dynamics is not well...