Cell Dynamics

Introduction

A microtubule motor protein is important for the organisation of the actin cytoskeleton in the Drosophila female germline. Aberrant "blobs" of filamentous actin can be found in oocytes without the motor protein Kinesin-1. Each Z section is colour coded
Chromosome Biology and Cytoskeletal Networks
Our research is focussed upon fundamental cellular processes that underpin normal cellular homeostasis and are perturbed in specific diseases. Our research questions aim to understand the biophysics of cells during development, the role of nutrition and epigenetics in developmental plasticity and determine the mechanisms by which chromosomes are segregated during cell division.
We also exploit the DNA repair capacity of parasites to aid their eradication and determine the fundamental basis of cellular aging and memory. We have expertise using a wide range of model systems including human cells, drosophila, bees, trypanosomes and yeast and interact with a number of industrial partners including Exscientia™, Carl Zeiss™, MSD™, Sosei Heptares™, Abcam™, Imsol™, SunRegen™ and Singer Instruments™.
Photosynthesis, Bioenergetics and Microbial Physiology
Our research focuses on the chloroplasts of plants, algae and diatoms, their free-living relatives the cyanobacteria, and other prokaryotes. We explore the regulation of photosynthetic light-harvesting and electron transport, light perception and responses and prokaryotic cell biology and physiology. We aim to understand the dynamic processes occurring in bacteria and in eukaryotic organelles using approaches ranging from molecular dynamics simulations to imaging by fluorescence microscopy and electron microscopy, combined with spectroscopy, biochemistry and molecular genetics. We have links with industrial concerns including Opti-Sciences Inc and Heinz Walz GmbH.
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Simulation of the interaction of light with a single 3 micron cell of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis 6803 showing how the cell acts as a microlens
Movement of cells of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis 6803 in response to light.
Staff
Researcher | Title | Department |
Research Interests |
Bessant, Prof Conrad | Professor of Bioinformatics | Biochemistry |
Bioinformatics, Proteomics, Metabolomics, Software development, Data integration |
Draviam, Prof Viji | Professor of Quantitative Cell and Molecular Biology, Director of Industrial Innovation | Biochemistry |
Video Microscopy, Cell division, Cancer Biology, Aneuploidy, Human cell biology |
Duffy, Dr Christopher | Lecturer in Cellular and Molecular Biology | Biochemistry | Light-harvesting, Photosynthesis, Computational Biology, Molecular physics, Xanthophylls |
Engl, Dr Christoph | Lecturer in Microbiology | Biochemistry | Molecular cell biology, Bacterial adaptation, Ribosome function, Bacterial plant-growth promotion, Single-cell & single-molecule imaging |
Hanke, Dr Guy | Senior Lecturer in Plant Cell and Molecular Biology | Biochemistry | Photosynthesis, Electron transport, Protein-protein interaction, Cell biology, Synthetic biology |
Mullineaux, Prof Conrad | Professor of Microbiology, Head of Cell and Molecular Biology Department | Biochemistry | Photosynthesis, Electron transport, Cyanobacteria, Fluorescence imaging, Membrane dynamics, Bacterial cell biology |
Palacios, Dr Isabel |
Lecturer in Cell Biology |
Biochemistry | Cell biophysical function of cytoskeletal forces, Proteins during germline development |
Ruban, Prof Alexander | Professor in Biophysics | Biochemistry | Photosynthesis, Light harvesting, Light adaptation memory, Structural dynamics, Genetics |
Lecturer in Biochemistry / Physiology | Biochemistry |
Centromeres, Chromatin, Chromosome segregation, Kinetochores, Yeast genetics |
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Senior Lecturer in Biochemistry | Biochemistry |
Yeast genetics, Genomics, Chromosome segregation, Kinetochores |
Funding
Our research receives financial support from:
Publications
Schorsch M, Kramer K, Goss T, Eisenhut M, Robinson N, Osman D, Wilde A, Sadaf S, Brückler H, Walder L, Scheibe R, Hase T, Hanke G (2018) A unique ferredoxin acts as a novel player in the low iron response of photosynthetic organisms. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA (in press)
Francis D, Chanana B, Fernandez B, Gordon B, Mak T, Palacios IM (2018). YAP/Yorkie in the germline modulates the age-related decline of germline stem cells and niche cells. PLoS One
Wojciechowski M, Lowe R, Maleszka J, Conn D, Maleszka R, Hurd J (2018). Phenotypically distinct female castes in honey bees are defined by alternative chromatin states during larval development. Genome Research
Balevičius V, Fox K, Bricker W, Jurinovich S, Prandi I, Mennucci B, Duffy C (2017). Fine control of chlorophyll-carotenoid interactions defines the functionality of light-harvesting proteins in plants. Scientific Reports
Sacharz J, Giovagnetti V, Ungerer P, Mastrioanni G, Ruban A (2017). The xanthophyll cycle affects reversible PsbS-LHCII interactions to control non-photochemical quenching. Nature Plants
Schlissel G, Krzyzanowski M, Caudron F, Barral Y, Rine J (2017). Aggregation of the Whi3 protein, not loss of heterochromatin, causes sterility in old yeast cells. Science
Drechsler M, Giavazzi F, Cerbino R, Palacios I (2017). Active diffusion and advection in Drosophila oocytes result from the interplay of actin and microtubules. Nature Communications
Shrestha R, Conti D, Tamura N, Braun D, Ramalingam R, Cieslinski K, Ries J, Draviam V (2017). Aurora-B kinase pathway controls the lateral to end-on conversion of kinetochore-microtubule attachments in human cells. Nature Communications
Engl C, Schaefer J, Kotta-Loizou I, Buck M (2016). Cellular and molecular phenotypes depending upon the RNA repair system RtcAB in Escherichia coli. Nucleic Acids Research
Schuergers N, Lenn T, Kampmann R, Meissner M, Esteves T, Temerinac-Ott M, Korvink J, Lowe A, Mullineaux C, Wilde A (2016). Cyanobacteria use micro-optics to sense light direction. eLife
Chmeliov J, Gelzinis A, Songaila E, Augulis R, Duffy C, Ruban A, Valkunas L (2016). The nature of self-regulation in photosynthetic light-harvesting antenna. Nature Plants
Berry L, Ólafsson G, Ledesma-Fernández E, Thorpe P (2016). Synthetic protein interactions reveal a functional map of the cell. eLife
Subramanian L, Medina-Pritchard B, Barton R, Spiller F, Kulasegaran‐Shylini R, Radaviciute G, Allshire R, Jeyaprakash A (2016). Centromere localization and function of Mis18 requires Yippee‐like domain‐mediated oligomerization. EMBO Reports
Aksentijević D, McAndrew D, Karlstädt A, Zervou S, Sebag-Montefiore L, Cross R, Douglas G, Regitz-Zagrosek V, Lopaschuk G, Neubauer S, Lygatea C (2014). Cardiac dysfunction and peri-weaning mortality in malonyl-coenzyme A decarboxylase (MCD) knockout mice as a consequence of restricting substrate plasticity. Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology