Prof. Dr. Michael Sixt, Institute of Science and Technology (IST Austria) “Lymphocyte migration and mechanobiology”

mikroskopie
13:00-14:00
Haus 11, 045
Abstract:
Cell migration is essential for physiological processes as diverse as development, immune defence and wound healing. It is also a hallmark of cancer malignancy. In complex 3D environments of living tissues, cells use multiple modes of migration, including mesenchymal, amoeboid, lobopodial and collective, and these are governed by the local extracellular microenvironment, specific modalities of Rho GTPase signalling and non-muscle myosin contractility. Migration through 3D environments is challenging because it requires the cell to squeeze through complex or dense extracellular structures. Doing so requires specific cellular adaptations to mechanical features of the extracellular matrix (ECM) or its remodelling. In addition, besides navigating through diverse ECM environments and overcoming extracellular barriers, cells often interact with neighbouring cells and tissues through physical and signalling interactions. Accordingly, cells need to call on an impressively wide diversity of mechanisms to meet these challenges. In this seminar, I will discuss how cells use both classical and novel mechanisms of locomotion as they traverse challenging 3D matrices and cellular environments