Colloquium: Dr. Stephanie Crane Weber 11/18
Physics Colloquium Lecture
November 18, 2020
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Host: Jan-Hendrik Spille
Dr. Stephanie Crane Weber
No membrane, no problem: Condensing bacterial organelles
Living cells are divided into functional compartments called organelles. In eukaryotes, lipid membranes separate organelles from the cytoplasm such that each compartment maintains a distinct biochemical composition that is tailored to its function. In contrast, prokaryotes typically lack internal membranes and instead must use other mechanisms to spatially organize the cell. Using fluorescence imaging and single-molecule tracking, my lab recently found that E. coli RNA polymerase (RNAP) organizes into clusters through liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS). RNAP clusters, or "condensates", increase cell survival during stress, and appear to regulate ribosome biogenesis in response to nutrient availability. Our results demonstrate that bacteria, like eukaryotic cells, use LLPS to generate membraneless organelles that spatially organize biochemical processes to optimize cell fitness in various environments.
https://uic.zoom.us/j/81882515386?pwd=UFZCN0Riby9WN3psc1p6ems4SlFVZz09
Meeting ID: 818 8251 5386
Passcode: 8mxSs3Dr
Date posted
Oct 20, 2020
Date updated
Nov 11, 2020