The Distinguished Lecture on “Force-dependent interactions of biomolecules” will take place as follows:
Date: 07 June 2024 (Fri)
Time: 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Venue: Research Building N21, GF, Room G013
The speaker is:
Prof. YAN Jie, Full Professor, Department of Physics, National University of Singapore
The Lecture is:
Force-dependent interactions of biomolecules
Abstract:
Cells sense (mechanosensing) and react (mechanotransduction) to mechanical signals in their environment, which is crucial for many basic cellular functions. This mechanosensing relies on the formation of tension-transmission linkages made of non-covalently connected proteins. Cells detect dynamic tensile forces through these linkages. Protein domains and their interfaces undergo changes due to intracellular tensile forces, leading to complex connectivity of the linkages, domain alterations, and interactions among proteins in the linkage and signaling proteins in the cytosol. In my talk, I will outline the biophysical principles of force-dependent biomolecule interactions and delve into their roles in cell-matrix adhesions, adhesion GPCR activation, and bacterial adhesions. In addition, I will also discuss how to utilize highly specific mechanical signature of biomolecular complexes to develop novel diagnostic technologies.
Biography:
Prof. YAN Jie is a single-molecule biophysicist who earned his PhD from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2005. He currently holds the position of Full Professor in the Department of Physics and serves as a Principal Investigator at the Mechanobiology Institute at the National University of Singapore. There, he spearheads research in single-molecule studies, focusing on the micromechanics of DNA and proteins. His primary objective is to unravel the ways in which force-bearing proteins within cells can detect and react to mechanical forces and how these proteins can be targeted pharmaceutically.
Prof. YAN’s contributions to the field have been widely acknowledged; he has been elected as a Fellow of the American Physical Society and a Singapore NRF Investigator. Additionally, he has published over 120 papers and secured two patents.
For more details, kindly find the event poster, abstract and bio.
