Leonid Chernomordik (NICHD/NIH): Membrane fusion: from mechanisms to biological consequences

Title: Membrane fusion: from mechanisms to biological consequences

Speaker: Leonid Chernomordik, NICHD/NIH

Hosted by: Sergei Sukharev

Abstract: 

The dynamic organization of cells and tissues in health and disease depends on protein-controlled membrane remodeling processes, including fusion of intracellular membranes, fusion of plasma membranes and fusion mediated by envelope proteins of countless viruses. In all fusion processes, the function of the fusion protein machinery is to drive the transition from the pre-fusion to post-fusion state by bringing lipid bilayers into immediate contact, catalyzing the formation of energy-intensive fusion intermediates and driving expansion of a fusion pore. In my talk I plan to briefly summarize the fusion-through-hemifusion pathway of membrane rearrangements discovered in our earlier studies that appears to be widely accepted for disparate fusion processes. I will then discuss our work on mechanisms of cell-cell fusion stage in development and regeneration of skeletal muscles. However, main focus of my talk will be our on-going work on mechanisms of formation of multinucleated bone-resorbing osteoclasts. We hope that better understanding of the mechanisms that regulate membrane fusion in myogenesis and bone remodeling will facilitate development of new therapeutic strategies for muscle and bone diseases.