Graduate student Alka Potdar from the Cummings group will defend her
Ph.D thesis at 4.15 pm on Monday October 26th 2009 in 134 Olin Hall.
Characterizing Eukaryotic
Single Cell Motility Via Bimodal Analysis
Bimodal
analysis, a cellular-scale
approach to studying eukaryotic single cell migration by performing a model-based
analysis of single cell video-microscopy data, is described. The bimodal
framework that is a generalization of the run-and-tumble motion of bacteria
segregates the cellular trajectories into two types of alternating modes,
namely, the “directional-mode” (the more persistent mode, analogous to the
bacterial run phase) and the “re-orientation-mode” (the less persistent mode,
analogous to the bacterial tumble phase).
The dissertation research reported here has three
main aspects. The first is the measurement of epithelial single cell migration
by video-microscopy, which is then characterized using a simple model-based
tool, bimodal analysis, developed as part of this dissertation research. The
second aspect is to model mammary epithelial single cell migration by means of
a cellular dynamics simulation methodology and using a bimodal correlated
random walk (BCRW) model. The BCRW model was developed to elucidate the search
strategy of single epithelial cells from multi-cellular organisms. The third aspect
deals with application of bimodal analysis tool to eclectic eukaryotic cell
types (Dictyostelium,
neutrophils, fibrosarcoma, prostate cancer in addition to mammary epithelial
cells) in different motility assays/treatments to provide a common framework for
studying eukaryotic single cell motility. In addition, a simple experimental
setup for creating a temporal gradient of chemo-attractant for epithelial cells
is described and the possibility of temporal gradient sensing by epithelial
cells is studied.
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