Postdoc Appreciation Finale: Pint of Science x PAW

Human fungal pathogens kill 1.5 million people annually, yet key aspects of how they cause disease are still unknown. Understanding how fungi establish infections is key to preventing this high mortality associated with fungal disease. Sébastien’s work centres around understanding how the interactions between fungal spores and airway epithelial cells may hold the key to understanding fungal pathogenesis.  

The mission of the Pliotas group is to utilise advanced electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopic methods to study the conformational dynamics of complex proteins within their native environment. We have employed this approach to investigate key functional states of mechanosensitive ion channels both in vitro and also within intact cells. We aim to integrate this approach with other complementary methodologies such as single molecule electrophysiology, cryoEM and molecular dynamics to obtain a more complete view of the molecular basis by which these complex systems are regulated.

COPD is an inflammatory lung disease characterized by uncontrolled inflammatory responses, emphysematous destruction of the lungs, and irreversible decline in pulmonary function. Previous studies have reported that increases in B cell number in the COPD lung are associated with disease severity. Through characterising B cell subsets and their spatial distribution in COPD lungs vs non-COPD controls, we observed significant alterations in B cell profiles. Remarkably, we observe that cessation of smoking in COPD is strongly associated with normalized B cell profiles.

Cells in our body experience a variety of mechanical forces from their surrounding tissues. These forces affect crucial cell behaviours including cell movement and mitotic divisions. Aberrant responses to these forces can result in failures in embryogenesis and diseases such as cancer. To study the mechanics underlying dynamic cell behaviours we use the Xenopus laevis animal cap tissue model. Combined with mathematical modelling, a tunable tissue stretch system and live tissue microscopy, we are able to study the mechanistic details underlying how cells sense and respond to mechanical forces.