Soft Matter and Complex Systems Seminar

Inside every living cell, billions of molecules are constantly moving. Proteins, RNA, and other cellular components must find their way through a crowded environment to reach their targets and perform their functions. But how freely can molecules move inside a cell? And what happens when their movement slows down?
Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) makes it possible to observe molecular motion directly in living cells, while physical models help translate these measurements into information about the intracellular environment. Studies using this approach have shown that the cytoplasm does not behave like a simple liquid. Instead, molecules of different sizes experience very different resistance to motion, and these conditions can change as cells respond to their environment.
This seminar will explore what happens to molecular mobility when cells are exposed to stress, deprived of nutrients, or undergo programmed cell death. Examples will include changes in the movement of ribosomes involved in protein production, the behavior of mRNA introduced into cells, and the striking increase in cytoplasmic viscosity observed during apoptosis.
By following molecules in motion, it is possible to learn not only about the physical properties of living cells, but also about the biological processes taking place inside them.