Our research focuses on the cytoskeletal machinery for cell morphogenesis. We want to know how microtubules become dynamically patterned into specific arrays and how these arrays guide cell wall deposition to impart cell shape. Our work uses a synergistic combination of live imaging, in vitro reconstitution at single-molecule resolution, molecular genetics and computational modeling. This multidisciplinary approach has allowed us to discover new components and mechanisms underlying the complex and multi-scale process linking microtubule dynamics and organization to cell shape determination.
Latest Lab News
Natasha successfully defended her thesis!
Congratulations Dr. Bilkey!!
Natasha’s work as current president of BALSA highlighted in The Record
Natasha’s work as current president of the Biotechnology and Life Science Advising Group (BALSA) highlighted in WashU’s publication The Record Check it out here: https://biology.wustl.edu/news/student-led-biotech-consulting-group-brings-science-beyond-bench
Paper accepted in Quantitative Plant Biology
Paper on “Correlated mechanochemical maps of Arabidopsis thaliana primary cell walls using atomic force microscope-infrared spectroscopy” accepted for publication in Quantitative Plant Biology Congratulations to Natasha who is co-first author on this paper!
We are part of the NSF-funded Science and Technology Center for Engineering Mechanobiology (https://cemb.upenn.edu/) which seeks to understand how mechanical forces impact biology at molecular, cellular and tissue scales.
Contact Us
Contact us at:
Biology Department
Washington University in St. Louis
1 Brookings Dr, CB 1137
St. Louis, MO 63130.
Lab phone: (314) 935 9080