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Cellular self-organization, cytoskeleton dynamics, and membrane wound healing.

Episode Summary: Cell Biologist Dr. Bill Bement explains the dynamic world of the cell cortex, discussing how actin filaments and microtubules drive processes like cell division and wound healing through self-assembly and self-organization; energy dynamics of these processes; the role of rho GTPases in patterning; the implications for diseases such as cancer and muscular dystrophy, using vivid analogies and video demonstrations to make complex concepts accessible.

About the guest: Bill Bement, PhD is a cell biology professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he has studied cellular processes for over 30 years. He leads a lab focused on the cell cortex, investigating cell division and repair. His work emphasizes self-organization and cytoskeletal dynamics, contributing to insights into diseases like muscular dystrophy.

Discussion Points:

• The cell cortex, the outer layer of a cell, includes the plasma membrane & underlying proteins like actin & myosin, which enable dynamic shape changes.
• Actin filaments self-assemble without energy input, growing & shrinking to facilitate cell movement and division, while microtubules, stiffer hollow tubes, aid in chromosome separation.
• Self-organization in cells, driven by energy-dependent feedback loops, creates complex patterns like mitotic spindles.
• Cellular wound healing involves concentric rings of rho GTPases and actin, closing wounds rapidly, a process critical for surviving natural damage from mechanical stress or toxins.
• Energy costs of cytoskeletal rearrangements are significant but likely less than protein synthesis, though precise measurements remain challenging.
• Cancer metastasis may rely on enhanced cell repair, allowing metastatic cells to survive mechanical damage while squeezing through tissues.
• Muscular dystrophy involves excessive damage or impaired repair, highlighting the importance of cell repair mechanisms.
• Bement’s lab is developing tools for synthetic self-organization, aiming to manipulate cellular processes to address repair deficits in diseases.

Related episode:

• M&M 220: Cell Death, Oxidative Stress, PUFAs & Antioxidants | Pamela Maher

*Not medical advice.

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