INTRACELLULAR PATTERN FORMATION OF F-BAR PROTEIN FBP17

Abstract

Living cells exhibit various dynamic biological patterns in the forms of waves and oscillations. Increasing attention is paid to their functions in efficient and robust signal transduction. However, whether plasma membrane plays an active role in wave propagation remains to be answered. In this work, I characterized the mechanism of intracellular pattern formation of FBP17, a curvature-generating protein that functions upstream of actin polymerization. Travelling waves of FBP17 mechanically depend on plasma membrane and the appropriate curvature of F-BAR is crucial for membrane undulation and wave propagation. My results present a biological system where membrane-shape-mediated mechano-chemical feedback is critical for spatiotemporal pattern formation. This curvature-mediated coupling is a novel mechanism for rapid transduction of signals across cell membrane.