Valentine, Megan T. - University of California, Santa Barbara

个人简介

Ph.D. Physics, Harvard University M.S. Physics, University of Pennsylvania Burroughs Wellcome Career Award at the Scientific Interface NSF CAREER Award Fulbright Scholar Award

研究领域

Bioengineering & Systems Biology Micro & Nano Technology Solid Mechanics, Materials & Structures Thermal Science & Fluid Mechanics Our experiments employ state-of-the-art nanoscale manipulation and measurement techniques to probe diverse biological materials on length scales from that of single proteins (a few nanometers) to that of entire cells (~ 100 microns or more). This highly interdisciplinary work lies at the intersection of engineering, physics, biology and chemistry.Our primary interest lies in understanding the mechanical properties of the cytoskeleton, a dynamic protein polymer network that forms the foundation of cellular architecture, giving cells strength and enabling them to crawl, change shape and divide. This complex network is comprised of several classes of protein filaments, including actin and microtubules, and is constantly being remodeled through the work of accessory binding proteins that promote changes in filament length and organization. We are particularly interested in the role of motor proteins, enzymes that use the energy released in chemical reactions to exert forces and move in cells.To investigate the biophysical and biochemical basis of cellular mechanics, we use a wide variety of experimental techniques, including: high-precision optical trapping to probe single molecules of motor and crosslinking proteins; micromechanical manipulation of cytoskeletal networks that are reconstituted from purified components or assembled in cell extracts; and advanced fluorescence imaging of the self-assembly of large protein complexes. We are also working to develop novel methods of measuring interaction and deformation forces within living cells.

近期论文

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Emmanouela Filippidi, Thomas R. Cristiani, Claus D. Eisenbach, J. Herbert Waite, Jacob N. Israelachvili, B. Kollbe Ahn, Megan T. Valentine "Toughening elastomers using mussel-inspired catechol-iron complexes" Science 358(6362) 502-505 (2017). Menaka Wilhelm, Emmanouela Filippidi, J. Herbert Waite, and Megan T. Valentine, "Influence of multi-cycle loading on the structure and mechanics of marine mussel plaques" Soft Matter 13 7381-7388 (2017). Sungbaek Seo, Dong Woog Lee, Jin Soo Ahn, Keila Cunha, Emmanouela Filippidi, Sung Won Ju, Eeseul Shin, Byeong-Su Kim, Zachary A. Levine, Roberto D. Lins, Jacob N. Israelachvili, J. Herbert Waite, Megan T. Valentine, Joan Emma Shea, and B. Kollbe Ahn "Significant performance enhancement of polymer resins by bioinspired dynamic bonding" Advanced Materials 1703026 (2017) Delany Rodriguez, Brian P. Braden, Scott W. Boyer, Daryl A. Taketa, Leah Setar, Chris Calhoun, Alessandro Di Maio, Megan T. Valentine and Anthony W. De Tomaso "In vivo manipulation of the extracellular matrix induces vascular regression in a basal chordate" Molecular Biology of the Cell 28(14) 1883-1893 (2017). Jamianne C. Wilcox, Benjamin J. Lopez, Otger Campas and Megan T. Valentine. "Improved calibration of the nonlinear regime of a single-beam gradient optical trap" Optics Letters 41(10) 2386-89 (2016). Dezhi Yu, Stuart C. Feinstein, and Megan T. Valentine. "Effects of wild type tau and disease-linked tau mutations on microtubule organization and intracellular trafficking in COS-7 cells" Journal of Biomechanics 48(8) 1280-85 (2016). Benjamin J. Lopez and Megan T. Valentine. "The +TIP coordinating protein EB1 is highly dynamic and diffusive on microtubules, sensitive to GTP analog, ionic strength, and EB1 concentration" Cytoskeleton 73(1) 23-34 (2016) Emmanouela Filippidi, Daniel G. DeMartini, Paula Malo de Molina, Eric W. Danner, Juntae Kim, Matthew E. Helgeson, J. Herbert Waite and Megan T. Valentine. "The microscopic network structure of mussel (Mytilus) adhesive plaques" Journal of the Royal Society Interface 12(113) 20150827 (2015). Benjamin J. Lopez and Megan T. Valentine. "Molecular control of stress transmission in the microtubule cytoskeleton" Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA)-Molecular Cell Research 1853 3015-3024 (2015). Kenneth W. Desmond, Nicholas A. Zacchia, J. Herbert Waite, and Megan T. Valentine. "Dynamics of Mussel Plaque Detachment" Soft Matter 11 6832-6839 (2015). Nicholas A. Zacchia and Megan T. Valentine. "Design and optimization of arrays of neodymium iron boron-based magnets for magnetic tweezers applications" Review of Scientific Instruments 86 053704 (2015). Christian Vaca, Roie Shlomovitz, Yali Yang, Megan T. Valentine, and Alex J. Levine. "Bond breaking dynamics in semiflexible networks under load" Soft Matter 11 6832-6839 (2015).