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Complex Systems Seminar: Sarah Keller: "Two Extremes of Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation in Membranes: Minimal, Artificial Membranes with two Lipids versus Living, Biological Membranes with Hundreds of Components"

Thursday, April 30, 2026 | 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM CT
Technological Institute, F160, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208 map it

Amidst longstanding excitement about phase separation in cells, fundamental questions have persisted about exactly which molecules are required for liquid–liquid phase transitions to occur in 2D lipid membranes. Using artificial membranes, we searched for truly minimal systems that phase separate into large, micron-scale liquid domains. We discovered one in a membrane containing sterol-lipids. The same type of micron-scale, phase-separated domains appear in membranes of yeast vacuoles (an organelle), where they play a role in enabling the yeast to survive periods of stress. We discovered that yeast actively regulate this membrane phase transition.

Sarah Keller, Professor of Chemistry, University of Washington

Host: Petia Vlahovska

 

 

 

Audience

  • Faculty/Staff
  • Student
  • Post Docs/Docs
  • Graduate Students

Contact

Joan West
(847) 491-3645
Email

Interest

  • Academic (general)

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