A&P Seminar - Caitlin Davis

The Analytical and Physical Seminar Series presents: Caitlin Davis

Yale

Host: Carlos Baiz

Title: Illuminating Cellular Complexity: Time-Resolved Imaging of Biomolecules Inside Living Cells

Location: WEL 2.122

Refreshments served at 3:15pm

Biomolecular function within the crowded, heterogenous environment of cells is often dictated by simple physical rules. In this talk, I will explore the kinetics, structure, and spatial organization of proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids inside cells and the relatively simple principles that drive them. I will introduce two complementary, laser-based imaging techniques that rely on thermal excitation to interrogate and manipulate complex biomolecular systems. Time-resolved fluorescence imaging will reveal the way that proteins and nucleic acids fold into functional 3-dimensional molecules. Label-free infrared imaging will provide spatiotemporal details of carbon flux and fatty acid synthesis and how it can be controlled. In each case, relatively simple rules govern in-cell observations with exceptions arising from interactions with the heterogenous cellular environment.