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Control of Multiscale ModelsSelf-organization of polymer asters and finding cell center:
Applied MathSpeaker: | Alex Mogilner, UCD |
Location: | 693 Kerr |
Start time: | Tue, Nov 2 2004, 4:10PM |
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.