Heineman Grant for Dresden Research group leader Alexander von Appen
Alexander von Appen, research group leader at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG) in Dresden, Germany, is one of four investigators awarded the prestigious Heineman Grant from the Minna-James-Heineman-Stiftung. In collaboration with Ori Avinoam, research group leader at the Department of Biomolecular Sciences at the Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel, the funded research project will examineThe role of membraneless condensates in membrane fusion over the next three years.
For more, read the press release from the MPI-CBG.
A quick intro to Entropy
Have you ever seen a tepid cup of coffee getting hot? Or a pile of sand grains organizing themselves into a sand castle? It would be strange, right? But why? The reason is behind one of the most fundamental and general laws of physics: The Second Law of Thermodynamics.
Prepared by Mariona Esquerda Ciutat from the Hyman and Jülicher labs in Dresden.
A quick intro to the Second Law of Thermodynamics
Have you ever seen a tepid cup of coffee getting hot? Or a pile of sand grains organizing themselves into a sand castle? It would be strange, right? But why? The reason is behind one of the most fundamental and general laws of physics: The Second Law of Thermodynamics.
Prepared by Mariona Esquerda Ciutat from the Hyman and Jülicher labs in Dresden.
A quick intro to Phase Separation
Ink and water mix but oil and water don’t. We all know this. But why? Mixing and demixing are relevant processes for many different systems: from the air, you breathe to metallic alloys on your car wheels, and to the smoothie on your breakfast. Recent research shows that these processes also take place inside cells! Biomolecules can be mixed with the liquid interior of the cell. Sometimes these molecules demix and form droplets like oil in water. A mechanism to assemble these droplets is assembled through a process called Phase Separation. This video is a short introduction to the physics of Phase Separation.
Prepared by Mariona Esquerda Ciutat from the Hyman and Jülicher labs in Dresden.
Physics of Life Excellence Postdoctoral Fellowships
Join research groups at the Physics of Life (PoL) as a postdoc by applying to a PoL Excellence Postdoctoral Fellowship and benefit from up to 4-year funded position in association with PoL groups and the Mentorship program. Applicants should hold a PhD in Physics, Biology or related fields (at the time of the start of the position). Visit the PoL website for more details.
A quick intro to Biomolecular Condensates
In schoolbooks, cells are generally pictured as a membrane bubble full of smaller compartments also wrapped by a membrane. In reality, things differ from this simple picture. There are many compartments that are not bound by a membrane. Learn what they are and their amazing properties in this 2 minute video!
Prepared by Mariona Esquerda Ciutat from the Hyman and Jülicher labs in Dresden.
New Study: A multi-step nucleation process determines the kinetics of prion-like domain phase separation
In this study, time-resolved small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) was used to characterize liquid-liquid phase separation of Prion-like domains. Read more
Centrosome Assembly
Hyman lab postdoc Jeff Woodruff describes the great unknowns of centrosome assembly and his plan of attack. Written and narrated by Jeff Woodruff. Produced by Lisa Dennison.
Phase Transition in Disease
In this video and the accompanying Cell paper, the Tony Hyman and Simon Alberti groups at Max Planck Institute propose an interesting idea that aging cells fail to maintain the liquid phase of ALS-associated protein FUS. The FUS liquid compartment instead forms disease-link solid phase aggregation.
Check out the paper at: http://www.cell.com/cell/abstract/S00….
Avinash Patel, Hyun O Lee, Louise Jawreth, Shovamayee Maharana, Marcus Jahnel, Marco Y. Hein, Stoyno Stoynov, Julia Mahamid, Shambaditya Saha, Titus M. Franzmann, et al. (2015). A Liquid to Solid Phase Transition of the ALS Protein FUS Correlates with Disease. Cell 162. And read more great research at http://www.cell.com/cell/home.
Phase Transitions in Cells
Hyman lab postdoc Louise Jawerth tackles the phase transitions that occur within the cytoplasm. Written and narrated by Louise Jawerth. Produced by Lisa Dennison.