Complex System and Biophysics Seminar
Speaker:
Dr. Wei-Chang Lo 羅尉彰博士
Department of Physics, Duke University
Title:
Nonlinear Viscoelastic Model of Cell Contraction in Dorsal Closure of Drosophila melanogaster
Dorsal closure is a vital step of embryogenesis of Drosophila melanogaster, and it resembles the process of wound healing in some epithelial tissues. A variety of structures formed by filamentous actin and myosin aggregates are involved in a very complicated way. With the adherens junctions between the cell membrane they result in oscillation and ingression of cells during the dorsal closure. Such a system exhibits unusual viscoelastic properties that cannot be produced by simple linear models. Therefore in this research a nonlinear viscoelastic model is developed to represent a single cell that is actively contracted by a contractile stress generated by myosin. The analysis of the nonlinear equations shows that a group of such cells that are bound to filling in a closed area inevitably face geometrical frustration. Hence a more sophisticated model is needed to replicate the oscillation observed in experiments.
Time:
12/08 (Thur) 12:00 noon
Place:
中央大學科四館六樓 625室(S4-625)