Biophysical Society Bulletin | April 2018

Communities

Motility and Cytoskeleton Subgroup The mission of the Motility and Cytoskeleton Subgroup is to understand the basic mechanisms that underlie the motil- ity and contractility of biological systems. At the BPS 2018 Annual Meeting in San Francisco, the subgroup enjoyed a symposium full of exciting science thanks to a group of excel- lent speakers. Gregory Alushin , Rockefeller University, discussed his lab’s recent cryo-EM structures of myosin VI bound to F-actin that shed light on this motor’s unique mechanochemistry. Marija Zanic , Vanderbilt University, described the activity of kine- sin-14s in organizing microtubule asters and an unusual kinesin activation mechanism by the tubulin subunit itself. Weihong Qiu , Oregon State University, also discussed kine- sin-14 motors and long-distance minus end-directed motility that is regulated by their N-terminal non-motor microtubule binding tail. Tim Clausen , Research Institute of Molecular Pathology, Austria, shared insights into sophisticated mech- anisms by which molecular chaperones police the non-func- tional, unfolded states of myosin heads in muscle thick filaments. Etsuko Muto , RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Japan, presented her research on the role of microtubules in kinesin and dynein activation, together with a review of the challeng- es, rewards, and future perspectives of working with recom- binant tubulin. Samara Reck-Peterson , University of California , San Diego, presented structural and biophysical aspects of the complex interaction of the multi-tasking regulator Lis1 with cytoplasmic dynein. Margot Quinlan , University of Cali- fornia, Los Angeles, discussed the roles of two collaborating

actin nucleators in control of cell polarity in the Drosophila oocyte. The symposium ended with the keynote address by Wallace Marshall , University of California, San Francisco, who gave a fascinating (and entertaining) account of flagella length de- termination mechanisms in Chlamydomonas, and elaborated what these simple-seeming organisms can teach us about the complexity of organelle size determination. We also very much appreciated the energy and clarity of our early career researchers who presented flash talks on a range of topics relevant to the subgroup: Nikki Reinemann , Vanderbilt University; Xuanhui Meng , Oxford University; Sungsu Lee , SUNY Upstate Medical University; Nandish Khanra , St Jude Children’s Research Hospital; Sarah Clippinger , Washington University, St Louis; Sami Chu , University of Minnesota; Christina Chen , University of Pennsylvania; Matthew Bovyn , University of Cali- fornia, Irvine; and Arjun Adhikari , Stanford University. Congrat- ulations and thanks for these excellent contributions. The Co-Chairs-Elect for the subgroup are Michael Previs , University of Vermont, and Ahmet Yildiz , University of Cali- fornia, Berkeley. They join 2019 Co-Chairs William Hancock , Penn State University, and Neil Kad , University of Kent, on the subgroup Executive Committee. Finally, we thank our sponsors Cytokinetics, MyoKardia, Lumicks, and PurSolutions for their generous support of our subgroup. — Kristen Verhey and Carolyn Moores Past Subgroup Chairs

From the Blog Just Check the Box! or, Why I Judge Science Fairs

http:/ biophysicalsociety.wordpress.com

Biophysical Society member Joshua Vermaas , National Renewable Energy Laboratory, shares his experience volunteering as a judge for local and regional science fairs in his area. Read why he signed up and why he keeps returning, then visit the BPS website for information on how you can give out a Biophysics Award at your local fair. https:/ biophysicalsociety.wordpress.com/2018/02/14/just-check-the-box-or-why-i-judge-science-fairs/

Joshua Vermaas

April 2018

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