Single Molecule Biophysics Lab at LENS

31/03/2023

https://www.optica.org/en-us/events/congress/biophotonics_congress/program/optical_manipulation_and_its_applications/?fbclid=IwAR03QVNxFzOtvmMNUzLtdeTzF6kZ8G-uf6fAmRfFaUi3gP7OaVqW-LPbhCw

Optica meetings are forums where the optics and photonics community comes together to exchange ideas and information.

27/02/2023

Increasing evidence that TMC1 in the mechanosensory channel of the ear. Also have a look at the paper in Neuron https://www.cell.com/neuron/fulltext/S0896-6273(18)30631-7?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0896627318306317%3Fshowall%3Dtrue

TMC1 converts movement of inner ear hairs into brain signals

12/01/2023

Very interesting January issue of Nature Materials about mechanosensing. Have a look at the cover and the articles by Scita and Campàs labs

Nature Materials is a multidisciplinary journal aimed at bringing together cutting-edge research across the entire spectrum of materials science and ...

28/06/2022

Tubulin, the building blocks of microtubules, can be removed from the microtubule wall by mechanical forces. Using single-molecule methods, the authors show that tubulin partially unfolds prior to its removal and determined the tubulin-extraction force.

03/03/2022

It is finally out!!! We used our favourite toy, laser tweezers, to uncover how α-catenin can alter the fluidity of cell-cell junctions. Congratulations to Claudia Arbore and Marios Sergides , the main co-authours of this work, Lucia Gardini , Giulio Bianchi , Anatolii Kashchuk , Pasquale Bianco , Irene Pertici and everyone how contributed for many years to this work!!

By using laser tweezers, the authors show that a single α-catenin molecule does not resist force on F-actin. However, clustering of multiple molecules and force applied toward F-actin pointed end engage a molecular switch in α-catenin, which unfolds and strongly binds F-actin.

25/01/2022

"we have identified a mechanosensory and transduction mechanism in the presynaptic boutons, in which the evoked release of glutamate is enhanced for more than 20 min."

A mechanism of mechanosensation and transduction in the presynaptic boutons is identified, in which sensing of fine pressure leads to enhanced neurotransmitter release.

28/11/2021

The biological and physical properties of tumors contribute to their growth and to treatment outcome. A 2020 Science Review looks at the physical features that are common to tumors and that limit successful treatment. Read more: https://fcld.ly/quy4v6e

01/11/2021

Embryonic, immune, and cancer cells sense confinement through deformation of their nucleus, according to research from last year that adds to the emerging idea that the nucleus—besides its genetic functions—directly senses the cell's physical environment.

Learn more in this Perspective from Science: https://fcld.ly/q67idup

04/10/2021

Wow! Nobel Prize for the discovery of the mechanosensitive Piezo channels and for the heat/cold sensitive channels TRPV1 and TRPM8!

BREAKING NEWS
The Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institutet has today decided to award the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine jointly to David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian “for their discoveries of receptors for temperature and touch.”

Our ability to sense heat, cold and touch is essential for survival and underpins our interaction with the world around us. In our daily lives we take these sensations for granted, but how are nerve impulses initiated so that temperature and pressure can be perceived? This question has been solved by this year’s Nobel Prize laureates.

David Julius utilised capsaicin, a pungent compound from chilli peppers that induces a burning sensation, to identify a sensor in the nerve endings of the skin that responds to heat. Ardem Patapoutian used pressure-sensitive cells to discover a novel class of sensors that respond to mechanical stimuli in the skin and internal organs. These breakthrough discoveries launched intense research activities leading to a rapid increase in our understanding of how our nervous system senses heat, cold, and mechanical stimuli.

The 2021 Nobel Prize laureates in physiology or medicine identified critical missing links in our understanding of the complex interplay between our senses and the environment.

Learn more
Press release: https://bit.ly/3nB8UXe
Advanced information: https://bit.ly/3ErJXDq

07/09/2021

https://rdcu.be/cxk1w

DECODE uses deep learning for localizing single emitters in high-density two-dimensional and three-dimensional single-molecule localization microscopy data. DECODE outperforms available methods and enables fast live-cell SMLM of dynamic processes.

24/08/2021

Kucera et al. show that anillin autonomously contracts actin bundles by diffusing in one direction over actin and maximizing the overlap between bundled actin filaments while generating contractile forces of tens of pico-Newtons.