Article
Microbiology
Gino Castillo, Juan Carlos Mora-Diaz, Rahul K. Nelli, Luis G. Gimenez-Lirola
Summary: This study compared the susceptibility and replication efficiency of human coronavirus NL63 (HCoV-NL63) in different cell culture conditions. LLC-MK2 cells showed the highest susceptibility, followed by airway organotypic cultures and primary human respiratory epithelial cells (HRECs). Low susceptibility and no significant replication were observed in HRECs. This susceptibility was associated with the expression levels of the ACE2 receptor protein.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Siba Moussa, Elena Rosini, Daryan Chitsaz, Loredano Pollegioni, Timothy E. Kennedy, Janine Mauzeroll
Summary: Glycine, an important biomarker in clinical analysis, has been detected using a Pt-based electrochemical enzymatic biosensor in this study, with the newly identified GO H244K variant showing increased glycine turnover. Notably, the biosensor achieved real-time measurements of glycine release from different cell types, with primary astrocytes showing fivefold higher glycine release compared to HEK 293 cells.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Xinxin Hang, Shiqi He, Zaizai Dong, Yun Li, Zheng Huang, Yanruo Zhang, Hong Sun, Long Lin, Hu Li, Yang Wang, Bing Liu, Nan Wu, Tianling Ren, Yubo Fan, Jizhong Lou, Ruiguo Yang, Lan Jiang, Lingqian Chang
Summary: This study introduces a DNA tensioner platform with high throughput and pN-level resolution to detect the mechanical forces of individual cells. Using this platform, enhanced mechanical forces in drug-resistant cells and metastatic tumor cells, as well as the mechanical heterogeneity associated with genes VEGFA and MINK1, were identified. The platform has the potential to establish links between cellular mechanical heterogeneity and genetic heterogeneity.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Meng Zhang, Mary Elisabeth Ehmann, Srija Matukumalli, Aashutosh Girish Boob, David M. Gilbert, Huimin Zhao
Summary: Chromatin boundary elements are difficult to define and characterize. Here the authors report Site-specific Heterochromatin Insertion of Elements at Lamina-associated Domains (SHIELD) for high-throughput screening of barrier-type DNA elements in human cells.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Brenda L. K. Coles, Mahmoud Labib, Mahla Poudineh, Brendan T. Innes, Justin Belair-Hickey, Surath Gomis, Zongjie Wang, Gary D. Bader, Edward H. Sargent, Shana O. Kelley, Derek van der Kooy
Summary: This study introduces a microfluidic platform that efficiently enriches retinal stem cells (RSCs) by combining nickel micromagnets, herringbone structures, and variable flow velocities. Utilizing an affinity enrichment strategy based on cell-surface markers, researchers successfully separated RSCs from adult ciliary epithelium and identified four differentially expressed cell surface markers that can be targeted simultaneously. This innovative approach allows for an unprecedented enrichment of RSCs compared to unsorted cells.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Valentin Romanov, Giulia Silvani, Huiyu Zhu, Charles D. Cox, Boris Martinac
Summary: This study demonstrates the high-throughput characterization of adherent cells using acoustic force spectroscopy (AFS), showing that cells' stiffness and viscoelasticity can be influenced by temperature and pharmacological treatments targeting the membrane-cytoskeleton interface. Furthermore, the ability to differentiate between cells based on protein expression levels was shown by rapidly probing over 1000 cells from three different cell lines expressing different levels of the mechanosensitive protein Piezo1 using AFS.
Article
Dentistry, Oral Surgery & Medicine
Yu Cui, Wei Ji, Yongyan Gao, Yao Xiao, Huan Liu, Zhi Chen
Summary: Human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs) undergo cellular composition switch during monolayer culture, but a subpopulation characterized as MCAM(+)JAG(+)PDGFRA(-) maintains transcriptional characteristics closest to fresh hDPSCs. This subpopulation demonstrates higher proliferation capacity and enhanced multilineage differentiation potentials, showing potential benefits for tissue regeneration applications.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ORAL SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ke-Jia Wu, Chun Wu, Feng Chen, Sha-Sha Cheng, Dik-Lung Ma, Chung-Hang Leung
Summary: Lysosomes are membrane-bound organelles responsible for protein degradation and organelle recycling. By introducing an imidazole group and developing time-resolved emission spectroscopy, researchers successfully developed a high-throughput screening platform for discovering potential lysosomotropic drugs.
Article
Cell Biology
Sebastian Kress, Roland Schaller-Ammann, Juergen Feiel, Joachim Wegener, Joachim Priedl, Wolf Dietrich, Cornelia Kasper, Dominik Egger
Summary: The use of 3D cell cultures is becoming increasingly important in medical and pharmaceutical research. However, analyzing the culture medium alone is not representative of the culture conditions in a 3D model, which hinders standardization and translation of results. Researchers have developed a monitoring platform that combines a perfusion bioreactor with a minimally invasive sampling system and sensors to monitor culture parameters and medium compounds in 3D cultures.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sivakamasundari Vijayakumar, Roberta Sala, Gugene Kang, Angela Chen, Michelle Ann Pablo, Abidemi Ismail Adebayo, Andrea Cipriano, Jonas L. Fowler, Danielle L. Gomes, Lay Teng Ang, Kyle M. Loh, Vittorio Sebastiano
Summary: A simplified monolayer protocol is developed to differentiate and purify primordial germ cell-like cells (PGCLCs) from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs). Single-cell RNA-sequencing reveals the specific features of PGCLCs and their transcriptional similarities with fetal PGCs.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Carmen Carrillo Garcia, Cora Becker, Michael Forster, Stefan Lohmann, Patricia Freitag, Stefan Laufer, Sonja Sievers, Bernd K. Fleischmann, Michael Hesse, Dennis Schade
Summary: This study established a high-throughput phenotypic assay platform to protect the cellular environment of cardiomyocytes. Chemical genetics approach identified several potential compounds for inducing cardiomyocyte proliferation and revealed non-target effects beyond p38 that might be critical for cytokinesis of cardiomyocytes.
JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Ping Zhou, Jia-Min Shi, Jing-E Song, Yu Han, Hong-Jiao Li, Ya-Meng Song, Fang Feng, Jian-Lin Wang, Rui Zhang, Feng Lan
Summary: Differentiation of osteoblast-like cells from human pluripotent stem cells is a hot topic in bone tissue engineering. Improving the in vitro osteogenic differentiation efficiency of hPSCs by supplementing with functional compounds at desired stages and establishing a stepwise induction system in the future is essential. The study showed heterogeneous cell population throughout the 35-day induction period, with cell telomerase activity and cell cycle analyses providing valuable insights into cell type changes and tumorigenicity.
STEM CELL RESEARCH & THERAPY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Wei Wang, Ying Gao, Weiwei Wang, Jianyong Zhang, Junfeng Yin, Ting Le, Jinjin Xue, Ulrich H. Engelhardt, Heyuan Jiang
Summary: This study investigated the activity and inhibition types of four compounds - kojic acid, beta-arbutin, alpha-arbutin, and deoxyarbutin - on mushroom tyrosinase. Kojic acid was found to be the most suitable positive control, as it effectively inhibited the enzyme's activity and reduced melanin content without cytotoxicity. The study also provided explanations for the contradictions in previous reports.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Meltem Ozgocmen, Dilek Bayram, Gulcin Yavuz Turel, Vehbi Atahan Togay, Nilufer Sahin Calapoglu
Summary: Research has shown that SDG can inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis in colorectal cancer cells SW480, affecting both 2D and 3D cultures, with a significant increase in apoptotic cell percentages in the SDG treatment group.
JOURNAL OF FOOD BIOCHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Oncology
Lindy Vernooij, Laurel T. Bate-Eya, Lindy K. Alles, Jasmine Y. Lee, Bianca Koopmans, Hunter C. Jonus, Nil A. Schubert, Linda Schild, Daphne Lelieveld, David A. Egan, Mark Kerstjens, Ronald W. Stam, Jan Koster, Kelly C. Goldsmith, Jan J. Molenaar, M. Emmy M. Dolman
Summary: The study identified the MDM2 inhibitor idasanutlin as a promising agent for resensitizing venetoclax-resistant neuroblastoma cells, showing BAX-mediated apoptosis and tumor regression in preclinical models. The combination therapy of venetoclax and idasanutlin demonstrated superior efficacy over single-agent therapies in BCL-2-dependent neuroblastoma cell line xenografts and patient-derived xenografts.
MOLECULAR CANCER THERAPEUTICS
(2021)
Article
Cell & Tissue Engineering
K. Futrega, E. Music, P. G. Robey, S. Gronthos, R. Crawford, S. Saifzadeh, T. J. Klein, M. R. Doran
Summary: The study characterized ovine BMSC and evaluated their ability to repair cartilage defects, concluding that micro-pellets manufactured from ovine articular chondrocytes were more effective than those from ovine BMSC. While ovine BMSC could form cartilage-like tissue in vitro, their effective application in cartilage repair will require successful mitigation of hypertrophy and tissue integration issues.
STEM CELL RESEARCH & THERAPY
(2021)
Article
Biology
Katherine Christian, Carolyn Johnstone, Jo-Ann Larkins, Wendy Wright, Michael R. Doran
Summary: Early-career researchers in Australia generally love science, but face challenges such as job insecurity, workplace culture, mentorship, and questionable research practices that impact their job satisfaction and potentially compromise science in the country. Recommendations are made to address these concerns.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Melissa E. Monterosso, Kathryn Futrega, William B. Lott, Ian Vela, Elizabeth D. Williams, Michael R. Doran
Summary: Researchers optimized a microwell platform, the Microwell-mesh, to assemble precise numbers of prostate cancer cells into microtissue arrays and implanted them into mice for studying microtissue growth. This microtumour model could potentially improve the resolution of drug response in prostate cancer PDXs and enhance the efficiency of animal use.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Rose Ann G. Franco, Eamonn McKenna, Pamela G. Robey, Md Shaffiulah Shajib, Ross W. Crawford, Michael R. Doran, Kathryn Futrega
Summary: This study evaluated the ability of a BMP inhibitor, LDN 193189, to prevent BMSC hypertrophy. The results showed that LDN 193189 did not prevent hypertrophy, but it was effective in countering mineralization and adipogenesis.
Article
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Md Shafiullah Shajib, Kathryn Futrega, Travis Jacob Klein, Ross W. Crawford, Michael Robert Doran
Summary: Achieving high-quality integration between repair tissue and native cartilage is a major challenge in cartilage defect repair. Enzyme treatment of the tissue interface has been explored to facilitate remodeling and integration, but simpler models are needed to evaluate its effectiveness.
JOURNAL OF TISSUE ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Bianca Nowlan, Elizabeth D. Williams, Michael Robert Doran
Summary: The study evaluated the impact of partially humanizing mouse bone marrow with human bone marrow-derived stromal cells on human prostate cancer cell behavior. Results showed that PC-3-DsRed cells preferentially populated bones in mice that had received human BMSC, and there were more bone lesions in these mice.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Hannu Koistinen, Ruusu-Maaria Kovanen, Morley D. Hollenberg, Antoine Dufour, Evette S. Radisky, Ulf-Hakan Stenman, Jyotsna Batra, Judith Clements, John D. Hooper, Eleftherios Diamandis, Oliver Schilling, Antti Rannikko, Tuomas Mirtti
Summary: Since the proposition of the pro-invasive activity of proteolytic enzymes over 70 years ago, several roles for proteases in cancer progression have been established. About half of the 473 active human proteases are expressed in the prostate and many of the most well-characterized members of this enzyme family are regulated by androgens, hormones essential for development of prostate cancer. Most notably, several kallikrein-related peptidases, including KLK3 (prostate-specific antigen, PSA), the most well-known prostate cancer marker, and type II transmembrane serine proteases, such as TMPRSS2 and matriptase, have been extensively studied and found to promote prostate cancer progression. Recent findings also suggest a critical role for proteases in the development of advanced and aggressive castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Perhaps the most intriguing evidence for this role comes from studies showing that the protease-activated transmembrane proteins, Notch and CDCP1, are associated with the development of CRPC.
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Eamonn McKenna, Kathryn Futrega, Travis J. Klein, Tariq A. Altalhi, Amirali Popat, Tushar Kumeria, Michael R. Doran
Summary: Spray nebulization is an understudied technique for scaffold production. Researchers fabricated polycaprolactone (PCL) nanofiber mesh scaffolds by spray nebulization, which simultaneously generated nanofibers and removed solvent. The scaffolds showed promising properties and supported cell growth, indicating their potential for dermal scaffold applications.
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Agathe Bessot, Jennifer Gunter, David Waugh, Judith A. Clements, Dietmar W. Hutmacher, Jacqui McGovern, Nathalie Bock
Summary: Increasing evidence highlights the important role of bone marrow adipocytes in prostate cancer bone metastases. However, lack of relevant models has hindered the understanding of human BM-adipocyte effects in this microenvironment. This study combines tunable GelMA-based hydrogels with biomimetic culture of human cells to engineer human bone tumor microenvironments containing BM-adipocytes. In vitro culture of human osteoprogenitors, adipocytes, and PCa cells in GelMA hydrogels leads to the formation of mineralized, adipose, and PCa tumor 3D microtissues, respectively. The stiffness of hydrogels regulates osteoblast mineralization and tumor spheroid formation, while coculture with tumor cells induces morphological changes and delipidation in BM-adipocytes. The in vivo model successfully forms a humanized fatty bone microenvironment and demonstrates that adipocytes support early bone tumor growth. This advanced platform combines natural aspects of the microenvironment with tunable properties for bone tumor research.
ADVANCED HEALTHCARE MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Leire Moya, Carina Walpole, Fiona Rae, Srilakshmi Srinivasan, Inge Seim, John Lai, David Nicol, Elizabeth D. Williams, Judith A. Clements, Jyotsna Batra
Summary: This study successfully established four cell lines derived from localized prostate cancer, including two benign and two malignant cell lines. The characteristics and molecular events of these cell lines could help in understanding the development and progression of cancer.
PROSTATE CANCER AND PROSTATIC DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Psychology, Biological
Katherine Christian, Jo-ann Larkins, Michael R. Doran
Summary: Early-career researchers in Australia express dissatisfaction, bullying, and concerns about research integrity. This article explores the potential impact of these issues on the replication crisis and proposes local and international strategies to address them.
NATURE HUMAN BEHAVIOUR
(2023)
Review
Oncology
Fatemeh Davoudi, Afshin Moradi, Therese M. M. Becker, John G. G. Lock, Brian Abbey, Davide Fontanarosa, Annette Haworth, Judith Clements, Rupert C. C. Ecker, Jyotsna Batra
Summary: Prostate cancer is a commonly diagnosed malignant neoplasm and a leading cause of cancer-related death in men worldwide. Personalized therapeutic strategies for this disease remain limited, but emerging biomarkers based on individual patient profiles and computer-assisted diagnostics have the potential to guide precision medicine. This review discusses screening methods, genetic aberrations, and phenotypic biomarkers for advanced prostate cancer, exploring their clinical implications in diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment prediction. Prognostic and treatment predictive biomarker discovery can improve patient management and personalized treatment regimens.
CURRENT TREATMENT OPTIONS IN ONCOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Md. Shafiullah Shajib, Kathryn Futrega, Rose Ann G. Franco, Eamonn McKenna, Bianca Guillesser, Travis J. Klein, Ross W. Crawford, Michael R. Doran
Summary: This study developed a method for the mass production and cryopreservation of 3D cartilage microtissues, and found that the cryopreserved microtissues maintained their tissue function.
JOURNAL OF TISSUE ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Rose Ann G. Franco, Eamonn McKenna, Pamela G. Robey, Ross W. Crawford, Michael R. Doran, Kathryn Futrega
Summary: For the use of bone marrow stromal cells (BMSC) in cartilage repair, controlling their hypertrophic differentiation is crucial. TGF-beta 1 stimulation triggers chondrogenic and hypertrophic differentiation in BMSCs, and silencing SP7, a transcription factor associated with hypertrophic differentiation, reduces both hypertrophic and chondrogenic differentiation processes. However, SP7 silencing compromises overall trilineage differentiation of BMSCs and makes it challenging to promote chondrogenesis while reducing hypertrophy in cartilage tissue engineering.
JOURNAL OF TISSUE ENGINEERING
(2023)
Review
Oncology
Srilakshmi Srinivasan, Thomas Kryza, Jyotsna Batra, Judith Clements
Summary: This review discusses the complex biology of kallikrein-related peptidases and their role in cancer and the tumor microenvironment. It also explores their involvement in tumor immune suppression and resistance to cancer therapy. Understanding the functions of these peptidases can provide insights into tumor development and help in developing new therapeutic strategies.
NATURE REVIEWS CANCER
(2022)