Pattern Formation of Proteins on the Surface of a Biological Cell

This is a brief summary of a collaborative project with William Bement on patterns of Cdc42 and Rho that arise when the surface of a cell (frog egg, Xenopus oocyte) is wounded. Based on experimental observations and previous discoveries about proteins such as Abr (a GEF/GAP that activates Rho and inactivates Cdc42) were were able to derive a model that captures aspects the phenomena. The model, in turn, inspired several new experiments, notably those where wounds in close proximity were studied. The observed patterns of overlap of influence from neighbouring wounds can be explained by the model.