Master 2 LST

Aim: This introductory course aims to provide the student with an overview of the cell as a mechanical entity, as well as with the basic concepts of mechanosensing and mechanotransduction. The course targets students from diverse backgrounds. Relevant experimental and modeling approaches will be discussed.

Organization: The course is split to four major parts. Part 1 introduces the subject in general terms and puts it in context, i.e., why we study cell mechanics and how it relates to development, regeneration, and disease. It will include primers on mechanics and cell biology to help students with backgrounds in biology and physics, respectively. Part 2 covers the structural components of the cell and how forces are generated in cells. Part 3 covers the measurement of forces generated by the cells and the application of forces to the cells. Part 4 covers mechanotransduction, i.e., how mechanical properties of the environment and mechanical stimulation change cell shape, cell, motility, intracellular signaling, and gene expression.

1.       Introduction: What is cell mechanics? Why study cell mechanics? How to study cell mechanics?

2.       Mechanics of the cell membrane, channels, and receptors

3.       Cytoskeleton: Mechanical analysis of cytoskeletal filaments and their dynamic properties

4.       Force generation in cells including molecular motors

5.       Measurement of endogenous forces: Traction force microscopy, molecular tension sensors, etc.

6.       Application of exogenous forces: Bulk approaches and single-molecule approaches

7.       Cell adhesion: Biophysics of cell adhesion molecules and related signaling mechanisms

8.       Mechanotransduction: How cells feel and respond to their mechanical environment

9.       Regulation of cell shape and motility including chemotaxis

Reading material: The course will largely benefit from the textbooks listed below, as well as a number of scientific papers. Reading material will be provided ahead of each class.

Boal; Mechanics of the Cell (2^nd edition); Cambridge Univ. Press, 2012 www.cambridge.org/9780521130691

Jacobs, Huang, and Kwon; Introduction to Cell Mechanics and Mechanobiology; Garland Science, 2012 https://doi.org/10.1201/9781135042653

Term project: Students will work on term projects as teams of two. Each project will focus on a particular subject or problem within the cell mechanics/mechanotransduction field. The project will be in the form of either a research grant proposal (with a detailed experimental plan) or a mathematical/computational modeling study. Communication: Written report and oral presentation.

Journal club: Students will present primary research articles to the class.

Mid-term exam: Written exam on subjects covered in Part 2 and Part 3 of the course.

Practical work: Students will conduct pre-defined live-cell imaging experiments, collect and quantitatively analyze images/videos. Communication: Comprehensive lab reports.

Aim: This introductory course aims to provide the student with an overview of the cell as a mechanical entity, as well as with the basic concepts of mechanosensing and mechanotransduction. The course targets students from diverse backgrounds. Relevant experimental and modeling approaches will be discussed.

Organization: The course is split to four major parts. Part 1 introduces the subject in general terms and puts it in context, i.e., why we study cell mechanics and how it relates to development, regeneration, and disease. It will include primers on mechanics and cell biology to help students with backgrounds in biology and physics, respectively. Part 2 covers the structural components of the cell and how forces are generated in cells. Part 3 covers the measurement of forces generated by the cells and the application of forces to the cells. Part 4 covers mechanotransduction, i.e., how mechanical properties of the environment and mechanical stimulation change cell shape, cell, motility, intracellular signaling, and gene expression.

1.       Introduction: What is cell mechanics? Why study cell mechanics? How to study cell mechanics?

2.       Mechanics of the cell membrane, channels, and receptors

3.       Cytoskeleton: Mechanical analysis of cytoskeletal filaments and their dynamic properties

4.       Force generation in cells including molecular motors

5.       Measurement of endogenous forces: Traction force microscopy, molecular tension sensors, etc.

6.       Application of exogenous forces: Bulk approaches and single-molecule approaches

7.       Cell adhesion: Biophysics of cell adhesion molecules and related signaling mechanisms

8.       Mechanotransduction: How cells feel and respond to their mechanical environment

9.       Regulation of cell shape and motility including chemotaxis

Reading material: The course will largely benefit from the textbooks listed below, as well as a number of scientific papers. Reading material will be provided ahead of each class.

Boal; Mechanics of the Cell (2^nd edition); Cambridge Univ. Press, 2012 www.cambridge.org/9780521130691

Jacobs, Huang, and Kwon; Introduction to Cell Mechanics and Mechanobiology; Garland Science, 2012 https://doi.org/10.1201/9781135042653

Term project: Students will work on term projects as teams of two. Each project will focus on a particular subject or problem within the cell mechanics/mechanotransduction field. The project will be in the form of either a research grant proposal (with a detailed experimental plan) or a mathematical/computational modeling study. Communication: Written report and oral presentation.

Journal club: Students will present primary research articles to the class.

Mid-term exam: Written exam on subjects covered in Part 2 and Part 3 of the course.

Practical work: Students will conduct pre-defined live-cell imaging experiments, collect and quantitatively analyze images/videos. Communication: Comprehensive lab reports.