Fred Chang, University of California, San Francisco

Title: "Morphogenesis and Division of the Fission Yeast Cell"

Abstract: We are interested in how cellular components organize to form cells of specific shape and size. We study the rodshaped fission yeast cell as a simple model to understand general principles in cell morphogenesis and division. I will describe our recent findings on mechanical-based mechanisms that drive cell growth, shape determination and cytokinesis. The principal players include the elastic cell wall, turgor pressure, microtubules and actin-myosin contractile forces.

Join us for refreshments in the Molecular Biology Building atrium before the seminar at 3:45 p.m. 

Host: Mohan Gupta (mgupta@iastate.edu)