题目：Spatial organization and the mechanics of signal transduction in cell membranes

报告人：Prof. Jay T. Groves
Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator
Department of Chemistry, UC Berkeley

时间：9月11日上午（星期五）10：00
地点：新化学楼A717会议室

报告内容摘要：Signal transduction in living cells is carried out through cascades
of chemical reactions, which generally begin on the cell membrane
surface. In recent years, there has been growing realization that the
large-scale spatial arrangement of cell surface receptors can regulate
the outcome of ensuing signal transduction process. Signaling
through the T cell receptor (TCR) in the context of the immunological
synapse provides a case in point. Spatial reorganization of TCRs occurs
on multiple length-scales, and apparently with multiple purposes,
during antigen recognition by T cells. The cell membrane and
cytoskeleton, working as an inseparable unit in this case, create the
mechanical framework within which TCR signaling processes occur.
To better study these phenomena, a new experimental strategy, in
which the spatial positions of cell membrane receptors are directly
manipulated through mechanical means, has emerged. By physically
inducing a ‘spatial mutation’ of the signaling apparatus, the role of
spatial organization in signal transduction as well as the mechanisms
by which it arises can be illuminated. Specific applications of this
strategy to TCR signaling and other cell-cell signaling systems will be
discussed.