Mon, March 29, 2021 10:30 am - 11:30 am Zoom webinar Living cells are often polarized with a distinct front and back or top and bottom. Cell polarity is a nearly universal feature that arises in almost all organisms ranging from bacteria to humans. The establishment of cell polarity underlies various cellular processes and functions, as seen in developing embryos, epithelial tissues, wound-induced cell migration, and yeast budding. A comprehensive understanding of the basic mechanisms of polarity establishment is crucial for the knowledge of normal development and the pathogenesis of various diseases resulting from abnormal polarity. The highly conserved Rho GTPase Cdc42 is the core of polarity establishment in yeast and animals. We use the tractable yeast S. cerevisiae to understand spatial and temporal regulation of cell polarity signaling and biological outputs of polarity establishment. We undertake interdisciplinary approaches including yeast genetics, biochemistry, quantitative microscopy combined with microfluidics, and mathematical modeling. I will discuss our recent discoveries of positive and negative feedback regulation of Cdc42. I will then discuss our on-going work to understand how the balance between positive and negative polarity signaling can cause senescence in asymmetrically dividing cells.
