Integrative cell and tissue dynamics
Prof. Dr.
Trepat, Xavier
(ICREA Research Professor)
Group Leader
Edifici Hèlix | Baldiri Reixac 15-21 | 08028 | Barcelona
Email : xtrepat
ibecbarcelona.eu
Research Topics
Cell motility and tissue dynamics / Cytoskeletal fragility / Cell-Cell adhesion / Cell Mechanics / NanobiotechnologyCell motility and tissue dynamics
The ability of eukaryotic cells to migrate within living organisms underlies a wide range of phenomena in health and disease. When properly regulated, cell migration enables morphogenesis, host defense and tissue healing. When regulation fails, however, cell migration mediates devastating pathologies such as cancer, vascular disease and chronic inflammation. Our research focuses on understanding the fundamental biophysical mechanisms underlying migration both at the single cell level and at the tissue level.
To study cell and tissue dynamics we develop new technologies to measure cellular velocities and physical forces at the cell-cell and cell-matrix interface. Using these techniques we unveiled a new mechanism of cellular guidance by intercellular physical forces we called plithotaxis. Our new tools also led to the discovery of an unanticipated mechanical wave that propagates through expanding cell sheets. This mechanical wave is a natural candidate to trigger mechanotransduction pathways during wound healing, morphogenesis, and collective cell invasion in cancer.
Traction forces exerted by a migrating cell sheet (Nature Physics,
2009)
Cytoskeletal fragility
With every beat of the heart, inflation of the lung or peristalsis of the gut, cell types of diverse function are subjected to substantial mechanical forces. How cells sense and respond to such forces underlies fundamental biological functions including differentiation, proliferation, polarization, locomotion, invasion, gene expression and pattern formation. We recently identified a new class of universal cellular responses to mechanical forces we termed “cytoskeletal fluidization” (Trepat et al., 2007, Nature). The existence of this response class implies that the cytoskeleton of the living cell should no longer be regarded as a robust and stable scaffold but as a fragile one that is able to fluidize and quickly reorganize to adapt to its active mechanical environment. Our current research focuses on better understanding the functional implications of cytoskeletal fluidization and elucidating the underlying physical mechanisms.
Waves of cellular deformation propagate across expanding tissues
Our lab has developed techniques to simultaneously map cell velocities, cytoskeletal structure, intercellular stresses, and cell-substrate tractions (from top to bottom)
