The Alushin lab is using emerging electron microscopy technology to visualize cytotoxic T cell proteins in three dimensional space as they recognize the agents that cause disease. This work will guide the development of ways to improve T cell performance in fighting infections.
Cells are constantly subjected to mechanical forces that originate either externally from the environment or internally from cellular machinery. The Alushin lab studies how cells use changes in the conformation of actin filaments within their internal skeletons to sense and respond to those forces. Over the long term, his group seeks to understand how changes to actin are linked to alterations in gene expression in development and disease.
