Lecture 4

Question 1

What happens to a cell after focal adhesion if exposed to a concentration gradient of chemokine?

Answer 1

Extension of the cell’s lamellipodium towards higher chemokine concentration,
Lamellipodium adheres to a point further up the cell.
The cell body then moves up towards the lamellipodium, before the old adhesion is disconnected.

Question 2

How does a wound healing assay work?

Answer 2

The cells in a petri dish are allowed to reach confluence over a medium.
A scratch is then placed through the cells, damaging them and releasing endogenous compounds. Cells then move into wound.

Question 3

What can identify reactive oxygen species?

Answer 3

Vital dyes.