Rui Gong Lab

The mechanical properties of the cells and their surrounding environment are fundamental in regulating cell proliferation, adhesion, migration and fate determination. The actin cytoskeleton is the primary intracellular machinery that senses and transmit mechanical forces. Dynamic reorganization of actin filaments by various actin binding proteins creates biochemically and architecturally distinct subcellular networks to exert or resist mechanical loads, many of which are remodeled in response to mechanical loads. Yet our understanding of the assembly principles of diverse actin networks and how mechanical forces sculpt cytoskeletal architecture is still limited. Our lab employs an integrated approach combining the cutting-edge cryo-EM, cryo-ET and neural network-assisted data analysis to unveil the fundamental principles governing actin network assembly and its mechanical regulation.