Education & Certifications

  • B.S., Brandeis University, Applied Mathematics (2022)
  • B.S., Brandeis University, Biology (2022)

Contact

  • Academic
    cshiff@stanford.edu
    University - Student Department: ICME Operations Position: Graduate

Additional Info

All Publications

  • Ultrasensitivity of microtubule severing due to damage repair. iScience Shiff, C. E., Kondev, J., Mohapatra, L. 2024; 27 (2): 108874

    Abstract

    Microtubule-based cytoskeletal structures aid in cell motility, cell polarization, and intracellular transport. These functions require a coordinated effort of regulatory proteins which interact with microtubule cytoskeleton distinctively. In-vitro experiments have shown that free tubulin can repair nanoscale damages of microtubules created by severing proteins. Based on this observation, we theoretically analyze microtubule severing as a competition between the processes of damage spreading and tubulin-induced repair. We demonstrate that this model is in quantitative agreement with in-vitro experiments and predict the existence of a critical tubulin concentration above which severing becomes rare, fast, and sensitive to concentration of free tubulin. We show that this sensitivity leads to a dramatic increase in the dynamic range of steady-state microtubule lengths when the free tubulin concentration is varied, and microtubule lengths are controlled by severing. Our work demonstrates how synergy between tubulin and microtubule-associated proteins can bring about specific dynamical properties of microtubules.

    View details for DOI 10.1016/j.isci.2024.108874

    View details for PubMedID 38327774

    View details for PubMedCentralID PMC10847648

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1986-420X