Prof. Ronen Zaidel-Bar

Cellular Mechanics and Tissue Morphogenesis

Our main interest is in understanding how mechanical forces are generated by cells and how cells use these forces to change shape and move, as happens during cell division, cell migration and tissue morphogenesis. We focus on distinct cellular structures that mediate cell adhesion and contractility: cell-matrix and cell-cell junctions and the actomyosin cytoskeleton.

Together, these structures are responsible for the dynamic control of cell and tissue shape during development and homeostasis and their misregulation is associated with various diseases. We take a multi-scale approach in our investigations, from single proteins to an entire organism, and employ a variety of tools, including genetic engineering, proteomics, biochemistry and bioinformatics, but primarily relying on live imaging with fluorescence microscopy.

Our findings, both in mammalian cells and in the nematode C. elegans, are defining the protein network regulating cell adhesion and contractility in vivo and elucidating molecular mechanisms of mechanosensing and mechanotransduction.

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