Research Projects

The project aims to develop a coarse-grained description of cell-cell junctions in adherent cells, which are typically stable in homeostatic conditions but require remodeling during embryonic development, tissue repair, and disease spreading. Junctional remodeling relies on the reorganization of adhesion receptor clusters and their interactions with the actin cytoskeleton and motor protein myosin II. The rate of junction remodeling is controlled by the active transport of myosin II directed toward E-cadherin-mediated junctions, a complex system influenced by molecular crowding in adhesion complexes. The project will investigate dominant interactions among E-cadherin molecules, their origins, and the interplay of competing mechanical, chemical, and signaling processes in dictating the rate of junction remodeling. The forces of movement arise from inherent membrane drag and active advective motion derived from transient interactions of E-cadherin with cortical actin filaments. Myosin II plays two roles in this process: indirectly providing lateral advective forces on E-cadherin through dynamic actin filaments and directly influencing overall membrane contractility by generating tensions. The project will also consider the premise of local cell control on collective behaviors, with growing indirect evidence of single-cell control of numerous multicellular processes in developmental and disease biology. The project will design a quantitative biophysics course to teach students MATLAB and Python tools for analyzing biochemical data and images, collaborate with theory and experimental colleagues for experimental validation, and engage with society to promote awareness of the impact of interdisciplinary research on human life and health.