Physico-chimie Curie (UMR168)

As the nuclear envelop breaks down, microtubules and motors self-assemble into the mitotic spindle, a dynamic structure essential to congress and biorient chromosomes before partitioning of sister chromatids to the daughter cells in anaphase. Microtubules are dynamically reorganized and regulated throughout mitosis to ensure faithful chromosome segregation. Mitotic kinase activity is also key to p

Integrin-based focal adhesions (FAs) initiate chemical and mechanical signals involved in cell polarity, migration, proliferation and differentiation. Super-resolution microscopy revealed that FAs are organized at the nanoscale into functional layers from the lower plasma membrane to the upper actin cytoskeleton. Among the main partners of integrin adhesion receptors, talin and kindlin are two ess

Cells package their genomic DNA into a complex with proteins called chromatin. Chromatin is partitioned into subcompartments that differ from each other with respect to their compaction, molecular composition and biological function. One example are the micron-sized spherical heterochromatin foci that are present in several differentiated cell types and that are readily visible under the microscop

Appropriate size of the body and its parts is crucial for organismal function. For example, small discrepancies in limb length severely obstruct motility, and overgrowth of cardiac muscle is a prevalent cause of heart failure. Faithful development must therefore involve mechanisms that ensure correct body size, and that coordinate the growth of different cells and organs.
We combine theory and qu

The plasma membrane is continuously deformed inwardly and outwardly by a wide range of intracellular and intercellular forces. In response to such nanoscale deformations, curvature-sensitive signaling molecules enrich at these curved membrane sites. Strikingly, some of the recruited molecules not only sense but also modify forces at the PM, forming self-organizing circuits at curved cellular membr