Dresden 2014 – scientific programme

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 23: Cytoskeleton (joint BP/CPP)

BP 23.1: Topical Talk

Wednesday, April 2, 2014, 09:30–10:00, HÜL 386

Intermediate filaments - mechanical building blocks and dynamic elements of the cell — •Sarah Köster — Institut für Röntgenphysik, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany

Intermediate filaments (IFs) are a major component of the eukaryotic cytoskeleton. By contrast to actin filaments and microtubules, which are highly conserved throughout cell types and organisms, IFs are divers and are believed to define cellular mechanics to a considerable degree. In the cell, IFs form complex hierarchical networks and bundles that are linked to other cytoskeletal proteins. In vitro experiments on purified proteins in combination with cell experiments thus provide insight into the mechanical and dynamic properties of IFs. Following this concept, we investigate the mechanical characteristics of individual purified IFs in confinement and inter-filament interactions mediated by multivalent cations. In the cell, bundling of IFs is more complex as various regulatory proteins are involved. Despite this complexity, direct observation of the bundle-and network-dynamics sheds light onto the mechanical and structural properties of the bundles themselves as well as of the surrounding cytoplasm.