{"205931":{"#nid":"205931","#data":{"type":"event","title":"Membranes, Interfaces, and the Interplay Between Curvature and Tension","body":[{"value":"\u003Ch5\u003ESchool of Physics Biophysics Seminar Series: Presenting Anthony Dinsmore, UMASS Amherst\u003C\/h5\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENature and technology abound with fluid interfaces such as the surfaces of oil droplets in water or the membrane surfaces of living cells.\u0026nbsp; These interfaces are typically crowded with adsorbed particles, proteins or other large molecules, which are effectively confined to a two-dimensional fluid.\u0026nbsp; This two-dimensional system, though, has a twist: it can spontaneously change its curvature and thereby substantially alter the interactions among the bound particles or proteins.\u0026nbsp; In biology, there are many examples where proteins change the shape of a membrane \u2013 a key part of a cell\u2019s ability to exchange materials with its exterior (via endocytosis).\u0026nbsp; Despite the many known examples, there remain quite basic questions about how proteins and membrane curvature work together.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; In this talk, I will describe our experiments with a family of membrane-binding proteins known as BAR, which have a strong affinity for highly curved membranes.\u0026nbsp; BAR proteins are shaped like a banana, which suggests a geometric mechanism for altering membrane shape \u2013 but in fact the mechanism remains controversial.\u0026nbsp; By measuring the binding affinity of BAR as a function of mechanical tension applied to the membrane, we aim to derive new insights into how the BAR protein and its soft, two-dimensional substrate work together.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Membranes, Interfaces, and the Interplay Between Curvature and Tension"}],"uid":"27664","created_gmt":"2013-04-11 13:50:22","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 02:03:16","author":"Alison Morain","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","field_event_time":{"event_time_start":"2013-04-23T16:00:00-04:00","event_time_end":"2013-04-23T17:00:00-04:00","event_time_end_last":"2013-04-23T17:00:00-04:00","gmt_time_start":"2013-04-23 20:00:00","gmt_time_end":"2013-04-23 21:00:00","gmt_time_end_last":"2013-04-23 21:00:00","rrule":null,"timezone":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"groups":[{"id":"126011","name":"School of Physics"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"13658","name":"Interfaces"},{"id":"63791","name":"Interplay Between Curvature and Tension"},{"id":"2177","name":"membranes"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[{"id":"1795","name":"Seminar\/Lecture\/Colloquium"}],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:alison.morain@physics.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ealison.morain@physics.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}