生物物理
Noise is widely understood to be something that interferes with a signal or process. Thus, it is generally thought to be destructive, obscuring signals and interfering with function. However, early in the 20th century, mechanical engineers…
Cell spreading requires a major reorganisation of the actin cytoskeleton, from a cortical structure to a lamellipodium where filaments are mostly parallel to the substrate. We propose a model inspired by the physics of nematic liquid…
One of many important features of the tumour microenvironment is that it is a place of active Darwinian selection where different tumour clones become adapted to the variety of ecological niches that make up the microenvironment. These…
As human spaceflight seeks to expand beyond low-Earth orbit, NASA and its international partners face numerous challenges related to ensuring the safety of their astronauts, including the need to provide a safe and effective pharmacy for…
A number of microorganisms leave persistent trails while moving along surfaces. For single-cell organisms, the trail-mediated self-interaction will influence its dynamics. It has been discussed recently [Kranz \textit{et al.} Phys. Rev.…
Molecular motors play pivotal roles in organizing the interior of cells. A motor efficient in cargo transport would move along cytoskeletal filaments with a high speed and a minimal error in transport distance (or time) while consuming a…
We investigate different mechanical effects which accompany the nerve pulse propagation by using mathematical modeling. The propagation process is composed by three connected phenomena: (i) the action potential (electrical signal) which is…
Base pair mismatch can relieve mechanical stress in highly strained DNA molecules, but how it affects their kinetic stability is not known. Using single-molecule Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET), we measured the lifetimes of…
In large neuronal networks, it is believed that functions emerge through the collective behavior of many interconnected neurons. Recently, the development of experimental techniques that allow simultaneous recording of calcium concentration…
Artificial analogues of the natural nucleic acids have attracted recent interest as a diverse class of information storage molecules capable of self-replication. In the present study, we use the computational potential energy landscape…
We examine changes in the picosecond structural dynamics with irreversible photobleaching of red fluorescent proteins mCherry, mOrange2 and TagRFP-T. Measurements of the protein dynamical transition using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy…
Plant and animal cells are commonly understood as acquiring specialized functions through differentiation and asymmetric division. However, unique capabilities are also acquired when two or more cells fuse together, mixing cytoplasmic and…
Mutational escape from vaccine induced immune responses has thwarted the development of a successful vaccine against AIDS, whose causative agent is HIV, a highly mutable virus. Knowing the virus' fitness as a function of its proteomic…
Upon contact with antigen presenting cells (APCs) cytotoxic T lymphocytes (T cells) establish a highly organized contact zone denoted as immunological synapse (IS). The formation of the IS implies relocation of the microtubule organizing…
Cell cell and cell matrix adhesions are fundamental in all multicellular organisms. They play a key role in cellular growth, differentiation, pattern formation and migration. Cell-cell adhesion is substantial in the immune response,…
Evoked EMG M-responses obtained from the thenar muscle in the palm by electrical stimulation of the median nerve demonstrate a well-established smooth bipolar shape for normal healthy subjects while kinks are observed in certain…
Plasmonic coupling of metallic nanoparticles and adjacent pigments can dramatically increase the brightness of the pigments due to the enhanced local electric field. Here, we demonstrate that the fluorescence brightness of a single plant…
Recent progresses in single particle tracking have shown evidences of non-Gaussian distribution of displacements in living cells, both near the cellular membrane and inside the cytoskeleton. A similar behavior has also been observed in…
Assemblies of anisotropic particles commonly appear in studies of active many-body systems. However, in two dimensions, the geometric ramifications of the finite density of such objects are not entirely understood. To fully characterize…
Controlling and suppressing bacterial accumulation at solid surfaces is essential for preventing biofilm formation and biofouling. Whereas various chemical surface treatments are known to reduce cell accumulation and attachment, the role of…