[phas-dept] Oct. 5 (Thursday) 4 PM - Physics and Astronomy Colloquium

[Heungman Park]

Fall 2017 Colloquium

Department of Physics & Astronomy, TAMU-Commerce

10/5, Thursday, 4-5 PM in Science Building 127

(coffee and cookies will be served at 3:50 PM)

Biophysics

Microtubule dynamics: complex behavior from simple parts
Dr. Luke Rice

Department of Biophysics

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

[https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__lh4.googleusercontent.com_crSAvwtqRIpBsnp1QlMIjKtQQO8jtFz-5FhTlv3MAZJZEefxK3I-2D3viFmhb00hjuIr133fGUovzPAIjzvkEtP3PP9R1uL57n3YoA0fsd0FC5WnwkPxjEWmIU4SDa5Opt5dS-5F-2DCQ0-5Fg&d=DwIF-g&c=oqyuZuih6ykib6aKiBq22_bich4AVfYGoLertJN0bEc&r=hjwEO_XYlnwAQWUGeaCrW47w4mK-Al28-BKyRvaivBs&m=bN5pIvzjKsL2C274gW-YnnrC7snGi_ce4YC0JHfJYLI&s=Kd2N8GnYfmQ98ymhm33hxC1ALpoWomhQQ-X291FudNg&e= ]

My laboratory at UT Southwestern Medical Center is focused on understanding microtubule polymerization dynamics. Microtubules are non covalent protein polymers that have essential roles organizing the inside of cells and helping segregate the genetic material when cells divide. Microtubules exhibit ‘dynamic instability’: they alternate apparently randomly between phases of sustained growing and shrinking. My lab is interested in understanding how microtubule dynamic instability works, and how other proteins regulate microtubules, at the molecular level. The kind of biophysics we do is often called ‘structural biology’, which means that we seek to understand macromolecular processes in terms of the three dimensional structures of the participating molecules, and in terms of the energetics of their interactions. In my talk I will first provide a brief overview about opportunities for biophysical research at UT Southwestern. Then, in a way that is accessible to non-specialists, I will present a project from my lab that provided new ideas about the mechanism by which a regulatory ‘polymerase’ makes microtubules grow faster.

Abstract

Dr. Luke Rice earned BS (1992) degree in Physics at Yale University, and a Ph.D. degree (2000) in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, also at Yale University. His Ph.D. research topic was on proteins that mediate intracellular membrane fusion. He worked as a post-doc at UC San Francisco studying gamma-tubulin, a protein involved in microtubule nucleation. In 2008, Dr. Rice began his appointment as an assistant professor at UT Southwestern Medical Center, where he is currently doing research in biophysics. More information about Dr. Rice and his research can be found at his website: biophysics.swmed.edu/~lrice/index.html<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__biophysics.swmed.edu_-7Elrice_index.html&d=DwIF-g&c=oqyuZuih6ykib6aKiBq22_bich4AVfYGoLertJN0bEc&r=hjwEO_XYlnwAQWUGeaCrW47w4mK-Al28-BKyRvaivBs&m=bN5pIvzjKsL2C274gW-YnnrC7snGi_ce4YC0JHfJYLI&s=6EKiZ6nXeJ_5eINLB1SqIvMwwgNyMK-aYDYwnCPU_SM&e= >

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