MasterNanosciences, nanotechnologies

Actin is a constitutive protein of the cytoskeleton, regulating cell shape, movement and division. Actin polymerizes into filaments that form dynamic networks in the presence of specific proteins. Within the cell, as access to resources is limited, there is competition for their use: networks have to share the same resources in order to coexist and perform their respective functions.

We recently demonstrated that protein turnover is a key element for the coexistence of various structures (Guérin et al. Current Biology 2025). In this project, we propose to use a biomimetic system in order to study the effects of local component depletion and heterogeneity on the coexistence of competitive architectures. To that aim, the student will manufacture cell-sized microwells to impose 3D boundaries to his/her experimental system and control precisely the finite biochemical composition of the system. Then, different architectures will be generated from polystyrene beads or lipid-coated micropatterns. In this defined and controlled environment, the minimal elements for the coexistence of different architectures will be evaluated. These experiments will enable us to demonstrate the basic mechanisms of actin architecture coexistence in cells.

Expected skills

This internship is appropriated for a student of the GS Soft Nano in:  M1 Physics of Complex Systems - M1 Nanochemistry - Phelma Biomedical Engineering.
Skills in microscopy / image analysis / macro writing / biochemistry will be usefull.