Physics Colloquium: Alison E. Patteson

Professor Alison Patteson, Department of Physics at Syracuse University

“Vimentin: The Great Multitasker”

Abstract:
Cells are energy transducers, using energy sources from their environment to create fascinating materials capable of collective motion, remodeling, and wound healing. While a soft mammalian cell allows cells to change shape and move, the physical stresses associated with living inside a multicellular organism can lead to cellular damage and DNA breaks. While we know there are many molecules and proteins involved, how do they couple together to allow cells to fulfil diverse structural requirements without breaking? Our group’s work is highlighting the role of the cytoskeletal biopolymer vimentin as a major regulator of these processes and protector of the cell nucleus from damage, allowing cells to cope with chemical and mechanical stresses in ways that the cytoskeletal networks actin and microtubules alone cannot. Here we present a biomechanical model in which vimentin modulates force transmission from the cell-matrix adhesions to the cell nucleus, helping fine-tune the cell’s response to different cellular environments. Further, we present new results on how vimentin mediates extracellular matrix remodeling to facilitate cell motility.