Invited lecture

The actin cytoskeleton dynamics in a cell-sized confined space

Makito Miyazaki

The Hakubi Center for Advanced Research, Kyoto University

How nanometer-sized proteins recognize micrometer- to submillimeter-sized intracellular spaces and

regulate biological functions is a fundamental question in cell biology. Many biological systems utilize

diffusive molecules such as Rho and Min to sense cell geometry and orchestrate dozens of

downstream molecules including cytoskeletal proteins in time and space to regulate cellular functions.

Here we hypothesize that cytoskeletal proteins themselves can probe cell geometry and regulate

cellular functions, because they self-organize into networks and generate long-range mechanical

interactions. To uncover potential roles of cytoskeletal proteins, we utilize in vitro reconstituted

models composed of purified proteins/cell extracts and cell-sized droplets/vesicles. In this seminar,

I will present actomyosin dynamics observed in artificial cells, and discuss how cytoskeletal proteins

sense “huge” cellular boundaries and regulate various biological functions including cell division,

motility, and intracellular positioning.

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Education:

March 2006 B.Sc., Department of Physics, Waseda University (Supervisor: Prof. Kazuhiko Kinosita, Jr.)

March 2008 M.Sc., Department of Physics, Waseda University (Supervisor: Prof. Kazuhiko Kinosita, Jr.)

March 2011 Ph.D., Department of Physics, Kyoto University (Supervisor: Prof. Kenichi Yoshikawa)

Academic Career:

April 2008 – March 2011 JSPS Research Fellow (DC1)

April 2011 – March 2015 Post-Doc (Shi’nichi Ishiwata Lab, Waseda University)

April 2015 – September 2017 Assistant Professor, Department of Physics, Waseda University

July 2016 – March 2017 Research Fellow, Waseda BioSciense Research Institute in Singapore (WABIOS)

October 2017 – Present Program-Specific Associate Professor, The Hakubi Center for Advanced Research & Department of Physics, Kyoto University

October 2018 – Present Invited Researcher, Institut Curie