The Role of α-actinin in Dictyostelium discoideum Response to Mechanical Stimuli

Material Information

Title:
The Role of α-actinin in Dictyostelium discoideum Response to Mechanical Stimuli
Series Title:
Cell Biology
Creator:
Aaron Cole
Dr. Yulia Artemenko
Physical Description:
1 Poster : Digital ; 222 MB

Notes

Abstract:
Cells can sense various chemical and mechanical stimuli, which cause changes in the actin cytoskeleton leading to directed migration of cells toward or away from these stimuli. Dictyostelium discoideum is a social amoeba that has many homologous genes to higher eukaryotes, making it an ideal model organism for the study of amoeboid-type migration typical of neutrophil and metastatic cancer cells. Disruption of actin cytoskeleton removes the ability of cells to respond to mechanical stimuli, but the reasons are unclear. Actin cytoskeleton is made up of globular actin monomers that polymerize into filaments, actin crosslinkers that link and bundle actin filaments into various conformations, and various regulatory actin-binding proteins. α-actinin is an actin crosslinker that has been previously shown to have mechanosensitive properties. In order to determine the role of α-actinin in the ability of cells to respond to mechanical stimuli, we will test activation of the signal transduction network in cells with and without α-actinin following brief exposure to shear flow as a mechanical stimulus. An mCherry-tagged α-actinin construct was first cloned and successfully expressed in wild-type cells. Following brief exposure to shear flow, α-actinin relocalized from the cytosol to the cell cortex, confirming its ability to respond to mechanical stimuli. Further studies will test the response of the signal transduction network using a fluorescently-tagged biosensor in α-actinin null cells with and without the above α-actinin construct.
Acquisition:
Collected for SUNY Oswego Institutional Repository by the online self-submittal tool. Submitted by Aaron Cole.

Record Information

Source Institution:
SUNY Oswego Institutional Repository
Holding Location:
SUNY Oswego Institution
Rights Management:
All applicable rights reserved by the source institution and holding location.