Cell Mechanics ME 339

Cell Mechanics ME 339 TuTh 3:15-4:30, 380-380D Office Hours: by appointment

Instructors: Christopher Jacobs ([email protected]) Ellen Kuhl ([email protected]) Ronald Kwon ([email protected]) Yufen Shi (TA) ([email protected])

Grading: Homeworks 30% Midterm 30% Final/Project 40% No Curve

09/25Tu Class overview and introduction to cell biology (Jacobs) Overview of the cell Basic biochemistry Membranes Organelles Protein synthesis

09/27Th Introduction to cytoskeletal biology (Kwon) Monomer structure Polymer structure Polymerization kinetics Cytoskeletal microstructure and regulation

10/02Tu Introduction to solid mechanics (Kuhl) Equilibrium, Stress Kinematics, Strain Material behavior, Hooke’s Law Stress resultants, Forces

10/04Th Introduction to biopolymers (Kuhl) General theory of beams, Euler Bernoulli theory Deformation modes: Bending and buckling

10/09Tu Polymer physics (Kwon) Introduction to statistical mechanics Random walk

10/11Th Polymer physics (Kwon) Gaussian chain Entropic spring 10/16Tu Polymer physics (Kwon) Freely jointed chain Worm like chain Persistence length Examples

10/18Th Cytoskeletal mechanics (Kwon) Rubber elasticity: affine network Implications of microstructure: the red blood cell cytoskeletal network

10/23Tu Cytoskeletal mechanics (Kwon) Mechanics of filopodia Tensegrity

10/25Th Pipette aspiration and whole cell mechanics cont’d (Kwon) Liquid drop model and Law of Laplace Aspiration of cells Aspiration of lipid vesicles Measurement of surface tension and areal expansion modulus

10/30Tu Introduction to biomembranes (Kuhl) Lipid bilayers Soap bubbles Cell membranes General theory of plates and shells, Kirchhoff Love theory

11/01Th Biomembranes cont’d (Kuhl) In plane deformation Deformation modes: Tension and shear, Laplace equation

11/06Tu Biomembranes cont’d (Kuhl) Out of plane deformation Deformation modes: Bending, Kirchhoff plates

11/08Th Mechanotransduction (Jacobs) Physical signals Cellular transduction 2nd messengers Intracellular signaling Kinases/Phosphatases Transcription factors Microscopy (bright field, phase contrast, DIC, fluorescent) Calcium imaging 11/13Tu Mechanotransduction cont’d (Jacobs) Second messengers Volume regulation and ion channels Bone: Piezoelectric field Direct deformation

11/15Th Midterm

11/20Tu No class

11/22Th No class

11/27Tu Mechanotransduction cont’d (Jacobs) Flow due to loading Signaling downstream of flow Molecular mechanisms Molecular dynamics, microfabrication, etc – the future

11/29Th Class projects

12/04 Tu Class projects

12/06 Th Class projects

Additional reading  Boal, D. “Mechanics of the Cell”, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2002  Howard, J. “Mechanics of Motor Proteins and the Cytoskeleton”, Sinauer Publ., 2001