Physics of Living Systems

Latest articles

1. 1. Physics of Living Systems
   2. Computational and Systems Biology

   Global morphogenetic flow is accurately predicted by the spatial distribution of myosin motors

   Sebastian J Streichan et al.

   Epithelial tissue remodeling during Drosophila embryonic development is quantitatively described by a simple law relating myosin activity and cell flow.
2. 1. Immunology and Inflammation
   2. Physics of Living Systems

   Role of framework mutations and antibody flexibility in the evolution of broadly neutralizing antibodies

   Victor Ovchinnikov et al.

   Computer simulations of the evolution of broadly neutralizing antibodies against HIV suggest that non-traditional pathways involving framework mutations which lead initially to increased antibody flexibility do occur, but can be avoided by appropriate vaccine design.
3. 1. Developmental Biology and Stem Cells
   2. Physics of Living Systems

   Gene-free methodology for cell fate dynamics during development

   Francis Corson, Eric D Siggia

   Mathematical methods based on geometry that directly embody the developmental concepts of competency, commitment, and determination provide succinct descriptions of morphogenesis and allow quantitative predictions from fits to sparse genetic data in Caenorhabditis elegans.
4. 1. Microbiology and Infectious Disease
   2. Physics of Living Systems

   Mechanism of bidirectional thermotaxis in Escherichia coli

   Anja Paulick et al.

   The interplay between the opposing responses mediated by different chemoreceptors enables bacteria to swim towards a preferred temperature.
5. 1. Physics of Living Systems

   Developmental adaptations of trypanosome motility to the tsetse fly host environments unravel a multifaceted in vivo microswimmer system

   Sarah Schuster et al.

   Trypanosome development within the transmitting tsetse fly reveals essential adaptations of microbial motility to diverse physical microenvironments.
6. 1. Computational and Systems Biology
   2. Physics of Living Systems

   Physical limits of flow sensing in the left-right organizer

   Rita R Ferreira et al.

   Large-scale in vivo imaging of the zebrafish left-right organizer (Kupffer's vesicle) combined with fluid dynamics calculations allows to quantitatively test the possible flow detection mechanisms and supports the flow transport of chemical signals as the mechanism of side determination.
7. 1. Physics of Living Systems

   Increasing evidence of mechanical force as a functional regulator in smooth muscle myosin light chain kinase

   Fabian Baumann et al.

   Atomic force microscopy based single-molecule force spectroscopy of smooth muscle myosin light chain kinase strongly indicates the existence of a mechanically triggerable activation pathway analogous to its well-established biochemical regulation pathway via calcium-loaded calmodulin.
8. 1. Physics of Living Systems
   2. Computational and Systems Biology

   Probing protein flexibility reveals a mechanism for selective promiscuity

   Nicolas A Pabon, Carlos J Camacho

   Conserved contacts on cognate ligands trigger an induced fit pathway that confers selective promiscuity to PD-1, a flexible regulatory protein and promising anticancer target.
9. 1. Ecology
   2. Physics of Living Systems

   Microbial consortia at steady supply

   Thibaud Taillefumier et al.

   In a consumer-resource model obeying the physical requirement of flux conservation, metabolic competition between microbes yields consortia of cell types that collectively resist invasion via optimal use of resources.
10. 1. Physics of Living Systems
    2. Cell Biology

    27 T ultra-high static magnetic field changes orientation and morphology of mitotic spindles in human cells

    Lei Zhang et al.

    An ultra-high static magnetic field changes mitotic spindle orientation in cells by exerting magnetic torques on both microtubules and chromosomes.