Cell polarity: Aurora over the pole
A recent study led by the Motegi Lab has identified the master switch that triggers the symmetry breaking process in the zygotes of the nematode worm, Caenorhabditis elegans. Learn more
MBI Director honoured with ASCB Senior Leadership Award
MBI Director Prof. Li Rong has been awarded the 2019 Sandra K. Masur Senior Leadership Award from the American Society of Cell Biology (ASCB). This award recognizes cell biology researchers whose “outstanding scientific achievements are coupled with a record of active leadership in mentoring both men and women in scientific careers.”
2019 Bootcamp in Mechanobiology: An Integrative Approach to Understand Cell Function
MBI's 10-day "bootcamp" style course covers fundamental concepts and practical approaches in understanding cellular functions. The Bootcamp lectures are open to all interested graduate students and post-docs.
Kedsarin Fong Ngern
Research Fellow, Kanchanawong Group
Le Shimin
Principal Investigator
Research Interests
Molecular Mechanisms of Mechanobiology
My current research has been focused on the molecular mechanics of cell mechanotransduction studied at a single-molecule level, which forms the foundation to understand the cell migration, tissue formation and maintenance, and the mechanobiology-associated translational biomedical applications.
- Single-molecule mechanobiology and biophysics at cell-ECM adhesion and cell-cell junctions;
- Single-molecule mechanobiology and biophysics at nuclear-cytoskeletal linkages and cell cytoskeleton;
- Biophysical studies of gene regulations, DNA replication and repairs by various single-DNA manipulation assays.
Recent Publications
- Ball NJ, Turkki P, Guo Y, Tanvir MH, Le S, Chin JFL, Baker KB, Luo J, Atherton P, Brown NH, Hytönen VP, Yan J, and Goult BT. An aggregation-prone region in talin controls talin self-interactions and regulates integrin adhesion complex dynamics. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2026; 123(45):e2602326123. [PMID: 42981030]
- Wang Y, Zhang Y, Yu M, Xiu P, Jia Y, Chen H, Le S, Qian J, and Yan J. Salt-bridge mediated cooperativity and mechanical stabilization of tandem spectrin repeats. Nanoscale Horiz 2025;. [PMID: 40492359]
- Le S, Yu M, Fu C, Heier JA, Martin S, Hardin J, and Yan J. Single-molecule force spectroscopy reveals intra- and intermolecular interactions of Caenorhabditis elegans HMP-1 during mechanotransduction. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121(37):e2400654121. [PMID: 39236238]
- Zhang Y, Du J, Liu X, Shang F, Deng Y, Ye J, Wang Y, Yan J, Chen H, Yu M, and Le S. Multi-domain interaction mediated strength-building in human α-actinin dimers unveiled by direct single-molecule quantification. Nat Commun 2024; 15(1):6151. [PMID: 39034324]
- Sun Y, Liu X, Huang W, Le S, and Yan J. Structural domain in the Titin N2B-us region binds to FHL2 in a force-activation dependent manner. Nat Commun 2024; 15(1):4496. [PMID: 38802383]
- Huang W, Liu J, Le S, Yao M, Shi Y, and Yan J. In situ single-molecule investigations of the impacts of biochemical perturbations on conformational intermediates of monomeric α-synuclein. APL Bioeng 2024; 8(1):016114. [PMID: 38435467]
- Zhou Y, Zhao X, Jiang Y, Lin DJ, Lu C, Wang Y, Le S, Li R, and Yan J. A Mechanical Assay for the Quantification of Anti-RBD IgG Levels in Finger-Prick Whole Blood. ACS Sens 2023;. [PMID: 37582229]
- Liu J, Le S, Yao M, Huang W, Tio Z, Zhou Y, and Yan J. Tension Gauge Tethers as Tension Threshold and Duration Sensors. ACS Sens 2023;. [PMID: 36731861]
- Huang W, Le S, Sun Y, Lin DJ, Yao M, Shi Y, and Yan J. Mechanical Stabilization of a Bacterial Adhesion Complex. J Am Chem Soc 2022;. [PMID: 36070862]
- Wang Y, Yao M, Baker KB, Gough RE, Le S, Goult BT, and Yan J. Force-Dependent Interactions between Talin and Full-Length Vinculin. J Am Chem Soc 2021;. [PMID: 34463480]
Full Publication List
