CPLC Research
Theme 1: Single-molecule biophysics at the molecular-cellular interface
- Leader: TJ Ha
- Additional Investigators:
- Yann Chemla
- Paul Selvin
- Karin Dahmen
- Nigel Goldenfeld
- Alek Aksimentiev
- Jun Song
- Sua Myong
Highlights from this project:
- Ha Lab reveals mechanisms of increased Cas9s specificity using single-molecule FRET
- Chemla Lab reveals physics of DNA on ultra-short length scales
Description: Single-molecule biophysics at the molecular-cellular interface leverages our newly developed single-molecule techniques to control and measure quantitatively and sensitively single-molecule forces from living cells and sub-cellular assemblies, measure DNA physical properties genome-wide and correlate them to molecular behavior and physiological consequences, and probe protein-nucleic acid interactions at the proteomic/cellular level.
Theme 2: Resolving cellular processes with single-cell experiments
- Leader: Yann Chemla
- Additional Investigators:
- TJ Ha
- Martin Gruebele
- Zaida Ann Luthey-Schulten
- Seppe Kuehn
- Thomas Kuhlman
- Nigel Goldenfeld
- Karin Dahmen
- Ido Golding
Highlights from this project:
Description: Maximizing information content of single cell experiments focuses on processes in living cells as they unfold in real time. We develop next-generation RNA imaging technology to probe the many functions of RNA. Evolution in the laboratory is quantified through highthroughput microscopy in real time. Single-cell measurements probe how bacteria respond to environmental stimuli.
Theme 3: Collective dynamics: from cell-cell interaction to multicellular systems
- Leader: Paul Selvin
- Additional Investigators:
- Karin Dahmen
- John Beggs
- Yann Chemla
- Zaida Ann Luthey-Schulten
- Martin Gruebele
Highlights from this project:
- High precision microbial population dynamics under cycles of feast and famine
- A virus-bacteria coevolutionary 'arms race' solves the diversity paradox by 'Killing the Winner'
Description: Collective dynamics: from cell-cell interaction to multicellular organisms builds on our expertise in single-molecule and single-cell probes extending research to complex systems ranging from cell-cell interactions between neurons, to communication among bacterial cells, all the way to the behavior of multicellular organisms.
Theme 4: Increasing biological realism in theory and computation
- Leader: Zan Luthey-Shulten
- Additional Investigators:
- Yann Chemla
- Paul Selvin
- Karin Dahmen
- Aleksei Aksimentiev
- TJ Ha
- Thomas Kuhlman
- Seppe Kuehn
- Nigel Goldenfeld
Highlights from this project:
- High precision microbial population dynamics under cycles of feast and famine
- DNA enzyme shuffles cell membranes a thousand times faster than its natural counterpart
Description: Increasing biological realism in theory and computation exploits recent methodological advances, many our own, to extend computational and theoretical biophysics to the very small (electronic) and very large (whole-cell) scales. In bottom-up and top-down approaches we explore computationally, jointly with experiment, such systems as bioenergetics organelles, chromatin, signaling networks as well as whole cells.