October 29, 2019
Jocelyn McDonald speaks on coordination mechanisms of collectively migrating cells
Submitted by Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics
Jocelyn McDonald, K-State professor of biology, is the featured speaker for Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics Seminar on Wednesday, Oct. 30. She will present "All together now: Mechanisms that unite and coordinate collectively migrating cells" at 4 p.m. in 120 Ackert Hall.
Presentation: Throughout embryonic development, and in cancer, cells often move in groups to form, shape and remodel tissues and organs. Such "collectively" migrating cells adhere strongly to one another but also coordinate their movement so that they can move as a single unit. The question of how, when and why cells migrate collectively, rather than as single cells, is still poorly understood. Drosophila border cells are an excellent genetic model that have led to fundamental discoveries of conserved regulatory pathways that underlie collective cell migration. Recent work from McDonald's lab has demonstrated that border cells require finely-tuned regulation of the actomyosin cytoskeleton and cell adhesion to keep border cells connected and moving efficiently through complex tissue environments. McDonald will present the findings on several new molecular players that play key specific roles in each of these processes.