Title:
Capturing impulses and crystals in live cells

Speaker:
Hidekazu Tsutsui
Department of Material Science, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST)

Abstract:
One of the long-lasting challenges in the field of physiology is the sensitive detection of action potentials (impulses) in a complex network of excitable cells. I will show our recent approaches for engineering protein-based optical sensors for cellular electrical activities. Then, I will also talk on some interesting phenomena -spontaneous crystallizations of fluorescence proteins in live cells - which were encountered unexpectedly though investigating photoconvertible fluorescence proteins.