B CUBE – Center for Molecular Bioengineering
Cluster of Excellence Physics of Life
Faculty of Chemistry and Food Chemistry
Technische Universität Dresden, Germany
Talk Title: How to build a Glass House, make it stick, and move it around - the instructive Case of Diatoms
Diatoms are single-celled photosynthetic eukaryotes that produce cell walls made of amorphous SiO2, (silica glass). They are ubiquitously present in aquatic ecosystems, and marine diatoms alone are responsible for about 20% of global primary biological production. Diatom research has a rich history dating back to the 18th century because of the beauty of their intricately patterned cell walls, as well as the skill of benthic diatoms to adhere to any submerged surface and explore them by a highly unusual gliding motion. The abilities of diatoms to shape glass with naoscale precision via a genetically-encoded process, and to produce a seemingly universal underwater glue is of considerable technological interest. Yet, the mechanisms of the underlying cellular machineries are far from being understood. In the past few years, considerable progress has been made in identifying and functionally characterizing unique diatom proteins that play key roles in silica morphogenesis, surface adhesion, and generating the force for cell motility.
Host: Dr. Michael Goodisman
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