Chaaban lab

Cytoskeletal Coordination Lab

We study how cells build and dismantle the molecular machinery that turns one cell into two.

Microtubules are central to this process, first organising the spindle that separates chromosomes and later forming the bridge that connects the emerging daughter cells. They are then reorganised into a narrow bridge between the daughter cells. To complete division, the cell must remodel this bridge and cut the surrounding membrane at the right place and time. Once the cut is made, it cannot be reversed.

We ask how molecular motors build these microtubule structures, how microtubules are remodelled as the membrane constricts, and how the architecture of the bridge determines where the final cut occurs. We combine biochemical reconstitution and fluorescence microscopy with cryo-electron microscopy and cryo-electron tomography to follow this process from individual molecules to intact cells.

By studying cytokinesis, we aim to uncover how cells coordinate polymers and membranes to make precise changes in their shape and organisation.