Dr. Chaitanya Athale - Lab - Cytoskeleton and Cell Shape Research

Research Areas

Collective Mechanics of Molecular Motors

We express the molecular motors using Drosophila, human and yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) sources. Expression is either bacterial or yeast-based. The purified molecular motors- both dyneins (minus-end directed) and kinesins (plus-end directed) are used to explore collective transport using gliding assays and bead-bound motility to mimic organelle transport.

Bacterial Cell Mechanics

Recent work using E. coli bacterium for testing the rules of cell and cytoskeleton mechanics. Understanding how cellular organization affects mechanical properties.

Cellular microrheology in development

Preliminary studies using C. elegans N2 worms to understand developmental mechanics and cytoskeletal organization during embryogenesis and growth.

Microtubule Polymerization Dynamics

Protein purification to quantify dynamics of microtubule polymerization in vitro. Dynamic light microscopy of such collective structures allows us to infer emergent properties. Tubulin is obtained from goat brains (animal) and mung seedlings (plant). Recently we have discovered crowdant size dependent effects on polymerization.

Cellular Biophysics

Fundamental understanding of mechanobiology and cellular biomechanics. We study cells including bacteria, S. cerevisiae and C. elegans embryos to discover new physical principles driving cellular organization.

Simulations of collective mechanics: molecules to cells

By combining quantification from microscopy with computer simulations, we are able to explicitly test our models. The computational models are thus developed in a Develop->Build->Test cycle to obtain insights.

Quantitative image analysis of microscopy data

We develop customized pipelines to analyze and quantify cellular and molecular interactions from microscoy - fluorescence, phase contrast, DIC, interference reflection microscopy (IRM).

Codes and Software

KnotResolver

A programme to automate single filament segmentation and tracking based on graph theoretical path minimization [GitHub code] MATLAB

DICOT

DIC object detection and tracking [GitHub Code] MATLAB

AMTRAK v2

Automated Kmography [GitHub code] MATLAB

EvoCellNet

DeepLearning pipeline for C. elegans cell first-embryonic division stage detection. Code implementation and network weights, Python Notebook on GoogleCollab to run the code on your data.

Team Members

2021 Lab outing in the hill in the monsoon.

Lab hike

A walk in the hills, July 2021. A relief from the lockdown.

Lab members

Summer 2025

Prof. Chaitanya A. Athale

The PI of the lab since 2009 at IISER Pune. 2003 PhD Biology Univ. of Heidelberg, Germany; 2003-5: Postdoc, MGH-MIT, Boston, USA. 2005-9: Postdoc EMBL Heidelberg, Germany.

Tanvi Kale, Doctoral candidate

2020 MSc Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, IBB Bangalore, IN.

Working on bacterial cell shape biophysics, microscopy and statistical simulations. Also key driver of COVID toehold project

Jashaswi Basu, Doctoral candidate

2020 MSc Biotechnology, IIT Roorkee, IN

Microtubule dynamics, plant tubulin biochemistry, kinesin-transport, interference reflection microscopy.

Aman Soni, Doctoral candidate

2020 MSc Computational & Integrative Science, JNU Delhi, IN

Simulations and theory. Microtubule-motor interactions, coupled ODE models, stochastic simulations, non-linear dynamics, pattern formation.

Prachi Negi, Doctoral candidate

2023 MSc Biotechnology, HNB Garhwal Univ Srinagar, IN

Image-analysis, simulations of microtubule-motor interactions, spindle dynamics.

Kajal Singh, Doctoral candidate

2023 MSc Biotechnology, Banaras Hindu University Varanasi, IN

Microtubule-dependent transport by dynein and kinesin. Protein purification. In vitro reconstitution. Microscopy.

Spandana Prusty, Masters Thesis candidate

4th year, BSMS dual degree programme, IISER Behrampur, IN

Microtubule purification and kinetics, biochemistry, affinity purification.

Aniket Kumar, Semester project candidate

4th year, BSMS dual degree programme, IISER Pune IN

Simulation of collective motor-microtubule interactions, dynamical systems, spindle dynamics, developmental biophysics, physics.

Cytoskeleton and Cell Shape (CyCelS) Lab | IISER Pune