A physics-based approach to cell signaling

• Grant number: 24/18698-9
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Visiting Researcher Grant - International
• Start date: March 23, 2025
• End date: January 22, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics
• Principal Investigator: Nathan Jacob Berkovits
• Grantee: Nathan Jacob Berkovits
• Visiting researcher: Silvina Martha Ponce Dawson
• Visiting researcher institution: Universidad De Buenos Aires/Uba, Argentina
• Host Institution: Instituto de Física Teórica (IFT). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de São Paulo. São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 21/14335-0 - ICTP South American Institute for Fundamental Research: a regional center for Theoretical Physics, AP.ESP

Abstract

Living organisms are information processing machines. This processing occurs bothat the level of individual cells and of coordinated sets of them. It involves the"reading" and "interpretation" of external and internal signals and the subsequentgeneration of "responses". In non-excitable cells this processing is mediated bycomplicated interaction networks of proteins and nucleic acids. Simple ions such ascalcium participate too. My research plan at the ICTP-SAIFR aims at contributing tounderstand how the appearance of non-trivial dynamics in the intermediaries of thesignaling as well as their spatial non-uniformity and transport properties impact onthe information processing and the response generation. Achieving a mechanisticdescription of some of the physical processes involved will also be a specific aim.The project will address a general aspect, the impact of non-trivial spatial transporton the dynamics of transcription, and involve the study of some steps in two modelsystems, cell migration and the mating pheromone response pathway in yeast. Onthe other hand, I plan to interact with the community of biological physicists at ICTP-SAIFR and neighboring institutions aiming at establishing new and fruitfulcollaborations and contributing to the expansion of a collaborative network on thesubject in the region. (AU)