Abstract:

The cytoskeleton is a fibrous network of biopolymers with incredible functions in living cells. In my lab, we study the role of the cytoskeleton in the structure, the properties, the state and the movement of living cells. For example, we investigate how the cytoskeleton defines the shape of cells, their mechanical properties, their ability to adhere or to migrate.
The cytoskeleton consists of three different subtypes, namely actin, microtubules, and intermediate filaments. While some projects in my lab study the effect of one subtype on a particular cellular function and how we can use this cytoskeletal fibre to control this function, others investigate how actin, microtubules and the intermediate filament vimentin collaborate with each other.
In this talk, I will discuss in detail how we can quantify and predict state transition in the cellular actin cortex. I particularly focus on transitions between adhered and suspended cells as well as the transition between single cells compared to cells in a multicellular state. I will finish talking about a particular transition when circulating tumor cells generate so called microtentacles.