About the project
The main objective of this project is to comprehensively examine the stability and mechanical properties of membranes in contact with biomolecular condensates. We will examine membranes either featuring a “molecular” condensate layer or by adsorbing macromolecules with condensate-forming domains. We will investigate the protective role of condensates and potential resealing of synthetic cells exposed to porating factors such as electric pulses, peptides and osmotic shock. We aim to elucidate the influence of macromolecular crowding on pore lifetime, potential pore occlusion and plugging by condensates, and the dynamics of membrane recovery.
The obtained results will inform strategies for developing advanced membrane-based technologies in biotechnology and medicine.
The project will include secondments at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (Šarić group), École Normale Supérieure de Lyon, CNRS, France (Marques lab), and the Berlin branch of Nature Communications.
Selected References
- C. Bussi, A. Mangiarotti, C. Vanhille-Campos, B. Aylan, E. Pellegrino, N. Athanasiadi, A. Fearns, A. Rodgers, T.M. Franzmann, A. Šarić, R. Dimova and M.G. Gutierrez, Stress granules plug and stabilize damaged endolysosomal membranes. Nature 623, 1062–1069 (2023); https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06726-w
- A. Mangiarotti and R. Dimova, Biomolecular condensates in contact with membranes, Annu. Rev. Biophys. 53, 319-341 (2024); https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-biophys-030722-121518
- R.B. Lira, F.S.C. Leomil, R.J. Melo, K.A Riske and R. Dimova, To close or to collapse: the role of charges on membrane stability upon pore formation, Adv. Sci., 8, 2004068 (2021); https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202004068
Doctoral Candidate: Sakshi Barhai
Sakshi holds both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Biochemistry from Pt. Ravishankar Shukla University, India, with a strong focus on protein biochemistry. Her Master’s thesis involved biophysical studies of Alzheimer’s-associated tau protein condensates, utilizing techniques such as scanning electron microscopy and optical microscopy.
Before joining ComeInCell, Sakshi worked as a Junior Research Fellow at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Hyderabad, where she studied the interaction between Pick’s Disease tau protein and Small Unilamellar Vesicles (SUVs).
Hosted by:
Rumiana Dimova
Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Potsdam, Germany
Department of Sustainable & Bio-inspired Materials
Membrane Biophysics Group, www.dimova.de
