At the Cell Morphogenesis Lab we want to understand how animal cells and tissues utilize cytoskeletal filaments to generate, maintain and adapt their shape as they reorganize during physiological responses. We use model systems that range from biomimetic assays (in vitro reconstituted cytoskeletal filaments with purified proteins) to mammalian cells in culture and developing Drosophila tissues, thus bridging the molecular, cellular and tissue scales. We combine genetics, biochemical and cell biological approaches, as well as cutting-edge imaging approaches developed locally within the MOSAIC group, in particular ensemble and single-molecule polarimetric imaging pioneered by our next-door colleague, close collaborator and optics physicist, Sophie Brasselet. 

Animal cell morphogenetic events, including cell adhesion, cell motility and cell division, rely on the spatiotemporal organization and coordination of distinct cytoskeletal filament assemblies including actin filaments and septin GTP-binding proteins. Despite compelling evidence for a role of septins in animal cell morphogenesis, their organization and function are poorly understood. 

To elucidate the organization and molecular function of septins in animal cells, as well as their interplay with other cytoskeletal filaments, we are 

(a) developing novel optical microscopy tools and genetically-encoded reporters that allow measurements of the dynamic reorganization of actin and septin cytoskeletal filaments in living cells and tissues 

(b) dissecting the molecular mechanisms that regulate the assembly and organization of septins in animal cells  

(c) exploring the molecular mechanisms that underlie the interplay between actin, microtubules and animal septins 

keywords : cytoskeletal filaments, animal cell morphogenesis, actin, septins, polarimetry