Listeria
live an interesting pathogenic life cycle inside their host cell.
They are able to hijack the internal actin network and use it
as a means of transportation around the host cell. They do this
by locally
polymerizing
actin at one end, forming an actin tail which remains stationary
in the cytoplasm, and hence the polymerization propels them
forward. Julie Theriot came down
from Stanford to
help us
get
this experiment
going, and some of our students took this project very seriously
and are now drafting a publication and research proposal! But
just to give you an idea, we've included some great pictures
and movies of the amazing paths they trace during this polymerization-motility
process.
These
movies are time lapsed taken in phase contrast. They may take
a moment to load, but are well worth the wait.
