Many types of eukaryotic cells are able to detect chemical gradients and move accordingly. Unlike the case for bacteria, these cells are large enough for the gradient detection to rely on differential receptor binding probabilities on the cell membrane. It is not yet understood how this input data is processed by the cell to make the motion decision; thus we cannot a priori predict the detection threshold, the response kinetics and the plasticity to changing stimuli. This talk will focus on some recent nonlinear models of this cellular information processing system and on experiments in progress on the amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum to test some of the resulting expectations.
Coffee and cookies before the presentation at 3:15 pm, and refreshments after the presentation will both be served in Room 128.