Cell membrane dynamics and cellular function
Understanding human cognition requires an integrated understanding of brain function through multiple scales, from the molecular to behavioral. The Karatekin Lab studies neuronal mechanisms at the molecular and cellular levels, focusing on membrane dynamics. There are tens of billions of neurons and trillions of synapses in the human brain, whose properties determine, in part, the properties of the circuits they form. However, even some of the most basic properties of neuronal membranes and mechanisms of synaptic vesicle recycling are poorly understood. What determines the probability that a synaptic vesicle will be released during an action potential? How does the neuron know when and how much membrane to retrieve after synaptic vesicles are released? Using optical tweezers, they discovered that neurons have very unusual membrane properties. Unlike other cell types, neuronal presynaptic terminals and axons display extremely rapid membrane flow and membrane tension propagation. With interdisciplinary approaches and collaborations, the lab is studying how these properties are linked to exo-endocytosis coupling, long-range signaling along the axon, and neurite growth and neuronal development. Ultimately, the answers to these questions are related to how synapses adapt to repeated stimulation, helping learning and memory formation.
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Biography
Trained in chemical engineering (University of Louisville) and soft-matter physics and chemistry (Columbia University), Erdem Karatekin did a postdoc at Institut Curie (Paris) before joining the CNRS as an investigator. Following an extended visit to Yale (with J.E. Rothman), he joined the Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology in 2012. His lab uses a combination of biophysical and biochemical approaches to study cell membrane tension and flow dynamics and how these relate to cellular functions such as membrane fission in bacteria, B-cell receptor dynamics, and membrane trafficking in neurons and neuroendocrine cells. Karatekin is a swimmer who played water polo competitively and has since passed on his passion for water polo and science to his daughters.