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Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit
Alexandra House, 17 Queen Square, LONDON, WC1N 3AR, UK
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7679 1176, Fax +44 (0) 20 7679 1173, admin@gatsby.ucl.ac.uk, www.gatsby.ucl.ac.uk

 

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WORKSHOP ON:
CENTRAL PROBLEMS IN SINGLE CELL COMPUTATION

16-18 September 2002
By invitation only

Venue
B10 Seminar Room, Alexandra House, 17 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3AR

Computational possibilities inherent in a small cluster of membrane receptors
Dennis Bray, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, UK
Our work on the chemotaxis signal pathway in E. coli has led us to a cluster of receptors on the bacterial surface. We recently proposed an atomic level structure for this cluster and are currently using computational methods to explore the diffusive, biochemical, and conformational events in the lattice and its subjacent cytoplasm. The dynamic complexity of this small volume of cytoplasm is enormous and far greater than one could measure experimentally. But communication between different parts of the lattice, for example through conformational interactions between neighbouring receptors, may lead to the emergence of patterns. Recent evidence supports the view that this cluster of several thousand receptors and their associated proteins functions as an integrated unit. Its sensitivity and range of response is far greater than could be achieved by the individual molecular components.
For more information on our work please see our group web page http://www.zoo.cam.ac.uk/comp-cell