Regensburg 2016 – scientific programme

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 65: Membranes and Vesicles II

BP 65.1: Invited Talk

Thursday, March 10, 2016, 15:00–15:30, H43

Design features of a membrane-assisted protein oscillator — •Petra Schwille — Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried

The MinCDE protein machinery, which orchestrates the positioning of the division ring in E.coli bacteria, shows a distinct oscillation of protein concentrations between the two cell poles, which are based on self-organization through reaction-diffusion. We have been able to reconstitute these self-organized oscillations of purified proteins in artificial cell-shaped compartments, as well as the faithful downstream positioning of protofilaments of the Z division ring. This could be the first step towards autonomous division of an artificial cell system which we aim to establish in a bottom-up synthetic biology approach. In my talk, I will discuss the design features of this very simple and archetypical kind of a biological oscillator and particularly highlight the role of the membrane, acting as a heterogenous catalyst and providing spatial cues in two and three dimensions.