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Experts in Clinical Sciences
Natasha Anandaraj Mark White Susan K Birden MICHAEL BILL Pravir Kumar Roger Badia P.Madhava Soma Sundaram Douglas K. Martin Blaine Y. Takesue Karsten Rebner JEFF ANDERSON Syed Umarhathab R.Sivakumar Enanalap Periyar Amy Berkov Kristin Meyer Nora Stelter A.J.R. Albert Heck Simon Allison BIG ANNA MARIA View MoreElizabeth S. Haswell
Associate Professor
Biology
Washington University School of Medicine
United States of America
The Haswell lab is interested in how molecules and cellular structures perceive force. Little is known about signaling in response to stimuli that are mechanical in nature, such as touch, osmotic pressure, or gravity—signals that are crucial for the normal growth and development of plants. We are currently studying the structure, function, regulation, and evolution of a family of mechanosensitive ion channels related to the bacterial channel MscS, using live-imaging, single-channel patch clamp electrophysiology, and complementary biochemical and molecular genetic approaches. We are also engaged in functional and genetic screens designed to identify novel mechanosensory proteins, and in the development of new tools for the non-invasive analysis of membrane forces in plants and select pathogens. These studies promise novel insight into the strategies used by both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells to sense mechanical stimuli.
mechanotransduction, mechanosensitive ion channels, molecular genetics, biosensor development