11/23/2022
By Kwok Fan Chow
Committee Chair:
Prof. Valeri Barsegov, Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts Lowell
Committee Members:
1) Prof. Kenneth A. Marx, Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts Lowell
2) Prof. Viktor Podolskiy, Department of Physics and Applied Physics, University of Massachusetts Lowell
3) Prof. Juan Artes Vivancos, Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts Lowell
Abstract:
The proposed research aims to develop a 3D-model of the Search-and-Capture pathway of mitotic spindle assembly. The complexity of the multi-component process of spindle assembly is overwhelming, considering that in addition to a number of kinetic processes, pulling forces produced by depolymerizing microtubules (MTs) and molecular motors on the outer kinetochores and pushing by polymerizing MTs on large and deformable chromosome (CH) arms generate chromosome movements and centromere and kinetochore (KT) deformations. The main aim here is to simulate the longstanding Search-and-Capture process in its full geometric and molecular complexity. This problem will be addressed by using a combination of computational methods. In order to follow cell dynamics on spatial scales from tens of nanometers to tens of micrometers and temporal scales from sub-seconds to tens of minutes, the Stochastic Reaction-Diffusion-Dynamics Model (SRDDM) will be developed. This model will combine the stochastic description of biochemical kinetics, Brownian diffusion-based description of molecular transport, and Langevin Dynamics based representation of the mechanical and force-dependent processes most pertinent to mitotic spindle assembly.
All interested students and faculty members are invited to attend.