Pavel Kraikivski

Current Research Interests

• Top-down and bottom-up approaches in modeling cell cycle regulation. Cell cycle control system is often modeled as a complex network of such interacting elements as cyclins, kinases, phosphatses and transcription factors. Almost a decade ago, the basic principles of the cell cycle and a kind of temporal control mechanism for such events as DNA synthesis, mitosis and cytokinesis were formulated. However, scientists around the globe have never stopped searching for key proteins, transcription factors, genetic and physical interactions regulating cell cycle. Now, we have plenty of data in various databases but still the scarcity of their explanation, interpretation and meaning. In my current project, we use two approaches to this problem: top-down approach and bottom-up approach. The top-down approach mines high-throughput ‘omic-databases’ for interactions and correlations that are relevant to a cell cycle. This connections are usually displayed as graphs that not only encode considerable information but also suggest new way of thinking about cell regulation. The bottom-up approach builds a detailed kinetic model of the biochemical mechanism of a specific control system, and solves dynamic equations to predict the time-course of every component of the system.

• I am also interested in the self-assembly and dynamics of cytoskeletal filaments like actin filaments and microtubules. Many of these systems arise from organization of biopolymers into a defined pattern or network which has unique mechanical properties rigid enough to maintain shape and transmit forces, yet flexible enough to allow internal reorganization. Dynamics of such intracellular structures is driven by thermal fluctuations as well as such active processes as nucleation, polymerization, depolymerization, crosslinking of filaments and their active transport by motor proteins.

• Another research area is intracellular transport, a process fundamental for cellular function, survival and morphogenesis. For this project, the model system that is being used is melanophores, pigment cells of lower vertebrates. The only function of these large cells is synchronous transport of thousands of membrane-bounded organelles, pigment granules. This system is ideal for both modeling and experimental study of intracellular transport control system. My research is focused on the role of cytoskeleton in intracellular transport and regulation of activity of motor molecules by signal transduction mechanisms.

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