The nucleus is highly organized to facilitate coordinated gene transcription. Measuring the rheological properties of the nucleus and its sub-compartments will be crucial to understand the principles underlying nuclear organization. Here, we show that …
During mitosis, kinetochore-attached microtubules form bundles (k-fibers) in which many filaments grow and shorten in near-perfect unison to align and segregate each chromosome. However, individual microtubules grow at intrinsically variable rates, whi…
As cells migrate and experience forces from their surroundings, they constantly undergo mechanical deformations which reshape their plasma membrane (PM). To maintain homeostasis, cells need to detect and restore such changes, not only in terms of overa…
Cell-generated forces play a major role in coordinating the large-scale behavior of cell assemblies, in particular during development, wound healing and cancer. Mechanical signals propagate faster than biochemical signals, but can have similar effects,…
At each cell division, nanometer-scale components self-organize to build a micron-scale spindle. In mammalian spindles, microtubule bundles called kinetochore-fibers attach to chromosomes and focus into spindle poles. Despite evidence suggesting that p…
As a cell changes size during the cell cycle, why does its density remain constant?
Cellular growth is the result of passive physical constraints and active biological processes. Their interplay leads to the appearance of robust and ubiquitous scaling laws relating linearly cell size, dry mass, and nuclear size. Despite accumulating e…
A chemical regularly used to image cells can dramatically alter the way cellular compartments called condensates look under the microscope.
Motile cilia are hair-like cell extensions that beat periodically to generate fluid flow along various epithelial tissues within the body. In dense multiciliated carpets, cilia were shown to exhibit a remarkable coordination of their beat in the form o…
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and can affect multiple organs, among which is the circulatory system. Inflammation and mortality risk markers were previously detected in…