生化科技學系邀請外賓演講

題目:The structural basis and dynamics of actin polymerization: From bacteria to eukaryotes.講師:Bob Robinson (Research Director, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Singapore)時間：101年10月8日 中午12:20地點：校總區3號館 第六教室摘要：摘要Eukaryotic actin is highly conserved. From humans to frogs, a period of approximately 320 million years, α-actin has remained unchanged. In contrast bacterial actin-like filament systems have diverged wildly. One evolutionary pressure that maintains the immutable character of eukaryotic actin is that it is the universal force provider. In order to precisely regulate the spatial and temporal control of actin polymerization, and to harness the force generated within a range of biological processes, a host of actin-regulators and binding partners are required. In the background of this multitude of constraining interactions the central molecule, actin, has had little latitude to evolve. In contrast, bacterial actin-like proteins often have a single biological function, such as, providing force for plasmid segregation. In prokaryotic systems, the evolutionary pressure may be exerted towards divergence. For instance, two different plasmids within a single bacterium will require two distinct actin-like polymerizing motors to ensure unerring inheritance. In this talk, I will compare the structure and dynamics of actins from prokaryotes and eukaryotes and discuss how the differences may affect biological function.