报告题目: Protein-Protein Interfaces as Mechanical Switches in Mechanotransduction
报 告 人: 严 洁 教授
主 持 人: 宋高洁 研究员
报告时间:2023年12月25日 15:30-16:30
报告地点: 闵行校区生科院534小会议室
报告人简介:
严洁教授于2005年在美国伊利诺伊大学芝加哥分校获得博士学位,目前就职于新加坡国立大学,是物理系的全职教授,同时也是力生物研究院(MBI)的项目负责人。其团队采用单分子的技术手段来研究DNA及蛋白质动力学行为。严洁教授已经在JACS、NAR、PNAS等国际知名期刊发表文章130余篇,获得2项发明专利,入选了美国物理学会会员。
Dr. Yan Jie is a single-molecule biophysicist. He obtained his PhD from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2005. He is currently a Full Professor in the department of physics and a Principal Investigator in the Mechanobiology Institute at the National University of Singapore, where he leads research in single-molecule studies of the micromechanics of DNA and proteins. His ultimate goal is to understand how force-bearing proteins in cells are able to sense and respond to mechanical forces, and how they can be targeted through pharmaceutical means. He has been recognized for his contributions to the field, being elected as a Fellow of the American Physical Society and a Singapore NRF Investigator, and has published over 130 papers and received two patents.
报告内容:
Cells respond to mechanical signals in their microenvironment through processes known as mechanosensing and mechanotransduction, which are vital for a plethora of fundamental cellular activities. This response is mediated by tension-transmitting assemblies composed of non-covalently bonded proteins. The extent of mechanotransduction is influenced not just by the level of tension but also by the duration of the tension applied. The longevity of protein-protein interfaces within these assemblies governs tension duration. Consequently, tension-induced disassociation at these interfaces can serve as a switch, either activating or inactivating mechanotransduction pathways. In my presentation, I will delineate the biophysical principles underlying the force-induced disassociation of protein-protein interfaces. Additionally, I will demonstrate how this disassociation modulates critical mechanotransduction processes, exemplified by the activation of adhesion GPCRs. Furthermore, I will explore potential pharmaceutical interventions that target these protein-protein interfaces.