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Control of Multiscale ModelsSelf-organization of polymer asters and finding cell center:
Applied Math| Speaker: | Alex Mogilner, UCD |
| Location: | 693 Kerr |
| Start time: | Tue, Nov 2 2004, 4:10PM |
Description
Events inside living cells are regulated by asters of dynamic
polymers called microtubules. These asters have remarkable abilities
to self-organize and to find the center of the cell, which has important
biological implications. I will explain experiments with fragments of fish
melanophore cells that allow to visualize these self-organization and
centering phenomena and present mathematical (integro-PDE) model
and computer simulations that shed light on the molecular mechanisms
behind asters' behavior.