EMBO Workshop — Cell polarity and membrane dynamics

Cell polarization is an essential first step for many biological processes ranging from cell motility to tissue and organism morphogenesis. At the same time, cell polarization requires a precise control of their internal organization, which is the result of a complex dynamic interplay between the cytoskeleton, molecular motors, signaling molecules, and membranes. Recent technological advances have helped obtaining valuable new information on the different temporal and spatial scales that govern cell polarization. We have obtained structures of membrane-localized protein complexes, demonstrated the emergent self-organizing properties of proteins and cellular systems and shed light on how to modulate the shape of membranes and tissues to build entire tissues or organisms. To develop a mechanistic understanding of these processes, we need to integrate our existing knowledge on cell polarization, from the tissue level down to individual molecules, obtained from minimal reconstituted systems to whole animals, from experimental and theoretical approaches. This EMBO Workshop will bring together a highly diverse group of scientists (cell & structural biologists, (bio)chemists, experimental & theoretical physicists) to present the state-of-the-art of their fields, to exchange ideas, and to identify synergies between them to establish new collaborations and open new research fields.