Article
Materials Science, Biomaterials
Adrian A. Shimpi, Erik D. Williams, Lu Ling, Tigist Tamir, Forest M. White, Claudia Fischbach
Summary: This study investigates tumor cell migration on fibrotic ECM using a cell-derived matrix (CDM) model and phosphotyrosine phosphoproteomics. The results demonstrate that tumor cells cultured on CDMs migrate faster and in a more directional manner, which correlates with decreased cell spreading and increased cell elongation. The study also suggests that LYN may be differentially regulated and involved in regulating tumor cell migration on CDMs.
ACS BIOMATERIALS SCIENCE & ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Ophthalmology
Kim Santerre, Sergio Cortez Ghio, Stephanie Proulx
Summary: The study found that TGF-beta 2 can promote cell-cell and cell-substrate adhesion in corneal endothelial cells, enhance barrier integrity establishment, and improve CEC functionality.
INVESTIGATIVE OPHTHALMOLOGY & VISUAL SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Monica Cicuendez, Laura Casarrubios, Maria Jose Feito, Iratxe Madarieta, Nerea Garcia-Urkia, Olatz Murua, Beatriz Olalde, Nerea Briz, Rosalia Diez-Orejas, Maria Teresa Portoles
Summary: The study investigated the impact of decellularized ECM obtained from human and porcine adipose tissue on macrophage phenotypes and fungal phagocytosis. Results revealed that porcine DAMs promote an M2 phenotype, regardless of the decellularization method used. Biochemical characterization of the biomaterials and proteomic analysis provided insights into the correlation between ECM composition and macrophage function.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Talita de S. Laurentino, Roseli da S. Soares, Antonio M. Lerario, Suely K. N. Marie, Sueli M. Oba-Shinjo
Summary: LOXL3, a member of the lysyl oxidase family, plays a role in collagen and elastin crosslinking. In tumors, high LOXL3 expression levels are associated with genomic stability and cell invasion. Silencing of LOXL3 in glioblastoma cells leads to decreased invasion potential and potential improvement in patient prognosis.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Liam P. Dow, Guido Gaietta, Yair Kaufman, Mark F. Swift, Moara Lemos, Kerry Lane, Matthew Hopcroft, Armel Bezault, Cecile Sauvanet, Niels Volkmann, Beth L. Pruitt, Dorit Hanein
Summary: The authors developed a micropatterning workflow that allows control of cell positioning and morphology. By characterizing the nanoscale details of protein micropatterns on electron microscopy grids, they were able to study the structural changes governing cell-cell signaling.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Developmental Biology
Gopalan Gnanaguru, Steven J. Tabor, Gracia M. Bonilla, Ruslan Sadreyev, Kentaro Yuda, Jorg Kohl, Kip M. Connor
Summary: Microglia play a crucial role in neurovascular development, specifically in regulating the spatial patterning of astrocytes and promoting the formation of superficial blood vessels in the neuroretina. This study demonstrates that microglia achieve this through the complement C3/C3aR axis, which regulates the formation of the spatially organized astrocyte template necessary for subsequent vascular growth. Lack of C3 or C3aR leads to increased astrocyte density and elevated vascular density due to abnormal extracellular matrix gene expression.
Review
Physiology
Eugenia Papakrivopoulou, Daniyal J. Jafree, Charlotte H. Dean, David A. Long
Summary: This review emphasizes the importance of cell orientation in tissue planes for kidney development and pathology, highlighting the role of planar cell polarity and its proteins in various aspects of kidney organogenesis. Additionally, the relevance of planar cell polarity proteins in inherited human renal diseases, including congenital malformations and polycystic kidney disease, is discussed, as well as the potential for these proteins to influence glomerular diseases and provide new treatment approaches in nephrology.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Cell Biology
Susan E. Leggett, Alex M. Hruska, Ming Guo, Ian Y. Wong
Summary: The process of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is intricately linked to alterations in the intracellular cytoskeleton and the extracellular matrix, leading to cellular elongation and polarity changes. Recent bioengineering approaches have shed light on the mechanisms behind EMT and cytoskeletal dynamics, with a focus on multicellular behavior, vimentin function, and contact guidance patterning. These technologies allow for a deeper understanding of EMT at the single cell level and offer insights into its implications for cancer progression.
CELL COMMUNICATION AND SIGNALING
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Silvia Galderisi, Vittoria Cicaloni, Maria S. Milella, Lia Millucci, Michela Geminiani, Laura Salvini, Laura Tinti, Cristina Tinti, Otilia V. Vieira, Liliana S. Alves, Alvaro H. Crevenna, Ottavia Spiga, Annalisa Santucci
Summary: Alkaptonuria is an ultra-rare disease caused by homogentisate 1,2-dioxygenase enzyme deficiency, leading to homogentisic acid accumulation in connective tissues. The alteration in AKU cartilage structure is attributed to the degeneration of the cytoskeletal network in chondrocytes caused by HGA accumulation. Analysis revealed changes in the amount and distribution of three cytoskeletal proteins in AKU chondrocyte model.
JOURNAL OF CELLULAR PHYSIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ning Wang, Haiying Zhang, Xiulin Cui, Chao Ma, Linghui Wang, Wenguang Liu
Summary: Runx3 re-expression in B16-F10 melanoma cells alters their shape, attenuates migration, and suppresses pulmonary metastasis, revealing a potential therapeutic strategy for metastatic melanoma. Microarray analysis uncovers an altered transcriptional profile rich in annotations related to adhesion, actin cytoskeleton, and extracellular matrix proteins, with prognostic value demonstrated by MAL and VILL genes. Knockdown of MAL gene expression in B16-F0 cells enhances migratory and invasive traits, highlighting the significance of adhesion and actin cytoskeleton in melanoma metastasis.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Tomoyuki Kojima, Takashi Nakamura, Junichi Saito, Yuko Hidaka, Taisuke Akimoto, Hana Inoue, Christian Nanga Chick, Toyonobu Usuki, Makoto Kaneko, Etsuko Miyagi, Yoshihiro Ishikawa, Utako Yokoyama
Summary: Periodic hydrostatic pressurization under hypoxia enables the fabrication of scaffoldless human vascular mimetics with a spatial arrangement of cells and matrices. These mimetics show excellent mechanical properties and biocompatibility, making them suitable for clinical applications in cardiovascular diseases.
ACTA BIOMATERIALIA
(2023)
Article
Biology
Yu Wang, Meghan Lee Arnold, Anna Joelle Smart, Guoqiang Wang, Rebecca J. Androwski, Andres Morera, Ken C. Q. Nguyen, Peter J. Schweinsberg, Ge Bai, Jason Cooper, David H. Hall, Monica Driscoll, Barth D. Grant, Paschalis Kratsios
Summary: Research reveals that exophers produced by mechanosensory neurons in C. elegans are engulfed by surrounding hypodermal skin cells and broken up into smaller vesicles, which are gradually degraded by hypodermal lysosomes. This process relies on factors and pathways in the hypodermis, including actin and molecules related to lysosome activity. Furthermore, specific interaction between the neuron and phagocyte is crucial for an efficient exopher response.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Song Yang, Hanyu Liu, Hua Ni, Lingyu Jiang, Mulin Yang, Quan Chen, Jun Zhou, Fan Yu
Summary: O-GlcNAcylation plays a crucial role in cellular nutrient sensing and is involved in various physiological and pathological processes. The study demonstrates the involvement of O-GlcNAcylation in the regulation of phagocytosis. Mechanistic studies reveal that O-GlcNAc transferase interacts with Ezrin to catalyze its O-GlcNAcylation, promoting its localization to the cell cortex and facilitating efficient phagocytosis.
JOURNAL OF GENETICS AND GENOMICS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jiajia Wei, Yanqi Yang, Mi Li
Summary: Cell adhesion plays an important role in regulating the metastasis of cancer cells. AFM-based SCFS is used to directly measure the adhesion forces of individual cells. This study investigates the effects of fluidic flow environment on cellular adhesion. Experimental results show that cellular adhesion forces significantly decrease after growth in fluidic flow medium.
Article
Biology
Daan Vorselen, Sarah R. Barger, Yifan Wang, Wei Cai, Julie A. Theriot, Nils C. Gauthier, Mira Krendel
Summary: The study reveals that during macrophage phagocytosis of antibody-opsonized targets, there is a prominent constriction driven by Arp2/3-mediated assembly of discrete actin protrusions. Contractile myosin-II activity contributes to late-stage phagocytic force generation and target ingestion. Observations of partial target eating attempts and sudden target release suggest that constriction may play a critical role in resolving complex in vivo target encounters.
Editorial Material
Dermatology
Katia Boniface, Julien Seneschal, Alain Taieb, Aksam Merched
EXPERIMENTAL DERMATOLOGY
(2017)
Article
Hematology
Qinyu Yao, Marie-Ange Renault, Candice Chapouly, Soizic Vandierdonck, Isabelle Belloc, Beatrice Jaspard-Vinassa, Jean-Marie Daniel-Lamaziere, Muriel Laffargue, Aksam Merched, Claude Desgranges, Alain-Pierre Gadeau
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Aksam Merched, Katherine Tollefson, Lawrence Chan
CARDIOVASCULAR RESEARCH
(2010)
Editorial Material
Medical Laboratory Technology
Aksam J. Merched
CLINICA CHIMICA ACTA
(2012)
Article
Peripheral Vascular Disease
Aksam J. Merched, Lawrence Chan
CURRENT ATHEROSCLEROSIS REPORTS
(2013)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Aksam J. Merched, Kerry Ko, Katherine H. Gotlinger, Charles N. Serhan, Lawrence Chan
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Aksam J. Merched, Charles N. Serhan, Lawrence Chan
JOURNAL OF NUTRIGENETICS AND NUTRIGENOMICS
(2011)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ghazal Alipour Talesh, Veronique Trezeguet, Aksam Merched
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Malak Alannan, Hussein Fayyad-Kazan, Veronique Trezeguet, Aksam Merched
Review
Cell Biology
Veronique Trezeguet, Hala Fatrouni, Aksam J. Merched
Summary: Metabolic rewiring in tumor cells is a major hallmark of oncogenesis, with the tryptophan (TRP) metabolism through the kynurenine (KYN) pathway potentially inducing immune suppression. Debate surrounds whether immune suppression is due to TRP depletion or KYN accumulation. Clinical trials inhibiting key enzymes of this pathway have not met expectations, possibly due to the complexity of the tumor environment and the different types of cancers.
Article
Oncology
Malak Alannan, Veronique Trezeguet, Nivea Dias Amoedo, Rodrigue Rossignol, Walid Mahfouf, Hamid Reza Rezvani, Franziska Dittrich-Domergue, Patrick Moreau, Sabrina Lacomme, Etienne Gontier, Christophe F. Grosset, Bassam Badran, Hussein Fayyad-Kazan, Aksam J. Merched
Summary: We investigated lipid metabolism abnormalities in liver cancer cells and found that targeting lipid addiction can be achieved with available drugs. Anti-PCSK9 treatment alone or in combination with statins can disrupt oncogenesis and potentially be repurposed for liver cancer treatment.
Article
Cell Biology
Malak Alannan, Hala Fatrouni, Veronique Trezeguet, Franziska Dittrich-Domergue, Patrick Moreau, Geraldine Siegfried, Benjamin Liet, Abdel-Majid Khatib, Christophe F. Grosset, Bassam Badran, Hussein Fayyad-Kazan, Aksam J. Merched
Summary: The inhibition of PCSK9 in liver cancer cells can effectively suppress cell proliferation and enhance vulnerability to iron-triggered lipid peroxidation. Targeting the key metabolic player PCSK9 may be a potential therapeutic approach for treating liver cancers.
Review
Cell Biology
Malak Alannan, Nabil G. G. Seidah, Aksam J. J. Merched
Summary: Metabolic rewiring and defective immune responses play important roles in many cancers. PCSK9, an atypical enzyme, regulates lipid metabolism by controlling LDLR and other cell surface receptors. Studies have also shown its involvement in the immune system and other physiological activities.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jizhong Cheng, Jiqiang Zhang, Aksam Merched, Liping Zhang, Ping Zhang, Luan Truong, Aladin M. Boriek, Jie Du
JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY
(2007)