event
Thursday 19 Nov 2015: Dynamics seminar: Lucia Marucci
Lucia Marucci - University of Bristol
H103 14:30-16:30
Modelling and engineering non-linear dynamics of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway in mouse Embryonic Stem Cells
Complex non-linear dynamics have recently been reported as a signature of pluripotency: Embryonic Stem Cells (ESCs) and cells reprogrammed to a stem-like state (induced Pluripotent Stem Cells, iPSCs) show heterogeneous expression levels and temporal fluctuations of a number of genes. In this talk, I will focus on the dynamics of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, highly implicated in both pluripotency and somatic cell reprogramming. A combined experimental and modelling approach revealed bistable or oscillatory dynamics of the pathway in mouse ESCs depending on the culture condition, with important biological implications. Also, I will suggest a synthetic biology strategy to engineer and control the mentioned dynamics in live cells.
