Building blocks :
from molecules to cell architecture

Cells can adopt all sorts of shapes and partner with other cells to build tissues and perform incredibly diverse functions. At the IBDM, we study how the thousands of different proteins within a cell can assemble into highly ordered structures that shape the cell or fulfill specific functions.. For instance the cylindrical structures of centrioles in ciliated cells, the quasi-crystalline structure of sarcomeres in muscles, or actin filaments that provide mechanical forces driving cell shape changes and cellular movements. We also explore how protein complexes sense environmental signals and transduce them to the cytoskeleton to control cell behaviors and shapes, and how small changes in protein structures can lead to novel functions.