Grad Talk- Understanding Biophysical Behavior by Bending Bacteria

Grad student, Paul Ryan, University of Arizona

When

2:10 to 3:20 p.m., March 22, 2019

Where

In bacterial cells, the peptidoglycan cell wall is the main structural component that defines a cell's shape while allowing it to maintain its internal pressure. It has been experimentally shown that an entire cell will plastically deform if it grows while under an applied mechanical force. This implies that cell wall growth is dependent on mechanical forces, however, the extent to which these forces modulate such growth has yet to be revealed. To better understand this phenomena, I use an optical trap setup along with time-lapse image microscopy to experimentally quantify these forces. This talk will be to explain how bending a single bacterium reveals its cell wall's elastic versus inelastic behavior. 
 
** Refreshments served from 2:45pm – 3:00pm in PAS 218. Please join us for the colloquium in PAS 224. Thank you. **