Assembly dynamics of a eukaryotic sub-cellular organelle
M. King, K. Anthony, D.A. Pomeranz Krummel
Brandeis MRSEC Seed DMR-0820492
Eukaryotic cells possess poorly understood nonmembrane enclosed subcellular organelles that
are sites of activity critical to post-transcriptional
gene regulation. We are studying a subcellular
organelle called a stress granule, which are large
(~150 nm diameter) and dynamic stress induced
cytoplasmic aggregates.
Our studies include both the characterization of
stress granule dynamics in cells using live cell
imaging techniques (see “A”, top right) as well as
studies in vitro of the protein components that
are integral to the assembly of stress granules
(see “B”, electron microscopy micrographs
bottom right).
We are quantifying the dynamics of stress
granules and elucidating the principles and
components underlying their assembly to form
stress granules.
A
No stress
5 μm
B
50 nm
Stressed