Presentation
 
The Molecular Dynamics of Membrane Interactions laboratory is an integrated research unit (UMR 5539) who is jointly associated with the French National Research Centre (CNRS) and the University of Montpellier II. This 1000 m2 laboratory is located on the premises of the Biology and Health Department at the University of Montpellier II. It includes 15 EPST scientists (9 CNRS and 6 INSERM researchers), 12 teacher-scientists, 11 ITA/IATOS, 8 postdoctoral fellows and 9 PhD students
 
The biological membrane and the subjacent cytoskeleton to the plasmic membrane are determining structures for cellular physiology. Their components form perpetually reassembling structures. These structures are in first line for the cellular determinism and their high functional plasticity enables them to address cell responses to modification of the cellular environment. The Laboratory is interested in the dynamic factors which intervene in these phenomena: membrane biogenesis, structural and ultrastructural organization of the membrane and interactions with the cytoskeleton, intracellular trafficking, and vectorization of the membrane vesicles.
 
The prime aim of the research is to gain insight into key membrane events (membrane biogenesis, intracellular transport, membrane-cytoskeleton interactions) that arise during major cellular events (growth and stimulation, cellular morphogenesis, diseases). The Laboratory* is organized in five autonomous but strongly interactive Teams and focuses its work on the passage of the molecular scale on a functional scale in the following fields:
Dir : Dr. Henri VIAL
 
* Key Words : Membrane, Traffic, Cytoskeleton, Morphogenesis, Lipids, Plasmodium, Toxoplasma, Cell Molecular Biology, Biophysics, Pharmacology, Therapy