Research Description

Mechanical forces mediated by clathrin-coated structures have central roles in skeletal muscle cotractility and transduction of central developmental signals between neighboring cells. Mounting evidence suggests that mechanobiology of clathrin dynamics works in the other direction as well, i.e., major constituents of membrane tension resist membrane invagination and regulate the rate of clathrin-mediated endocytosis in cells. We develop advanced imaging and quantitative data analysis tools for i) characterizing mechanoregulation of clathrin coat dynamics and structure within cells and tissues and ii) elucidating the mechanism through which cells produce and exert forces through formation of clathrin-coated structures.