Who: Prof. Mogens Høgh Jensen , Professor of Complex Systems and Biophysics, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen (Denmark).
When: Friday 14 February 2025 at 14:15 CET (Norway time).
Where: R10 (Realfagbygget, Gløshaugen, NTNU, Trondheim, Norway):
Title: Condensate Phase Transition and Oscillations in Cell Dynamics
Abstract: Oscillations appear in many physical system but are even more common in biology, notable examples are circadian rhythm, cell cycles, and calcium variations. We focus on protein oscillations related to cell stress. After damage of DNA through radiations the important transcription factor p53 exhibits oscillations in single cells over several days with a period of 5.5 hours. We have suggested that repair proteins form condensates around damage sites through liquid-liquid phase separations. The oscillations prevent Ostwald ripening due to the oscillatory behavior. By coupling the internal p53 oscillation with an external oscillation of another protein we obtain synchronization leading to gene control. By increasing the coupling strength we observe chaotic behavior. We are engaged in collaborations with experimental groups in Harvard, Ecole Normale and Academia Sinica, Taipei.