Article
Biology
Amy Reilein, Helen Kogan, Rachel Misner, Karen Sophia Park, Daniel Kalderon
Summary: In adult Drosophila ovaries, the development of follicle stem cells and niche cells is regulated by signals from both anterior and posterior sources, leading to appropriate spatial organization through controlled proliferative expansion and establishment of signaling cues.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Maik C. Bischoff, Sebastian Lieb, Renate Renkawitz-Pohl, Sven Bogdan
Summary: The study reveals that in developing testes of Drosophila, contact-dependent asymmetry of cell-matrix adhesion facilitated by filopodia drives directional movement, while contractile actin cables contribute to the maintenance of migrating cell cluster integrity.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Melis Isik, Babatunde O. Okesola, Cemil Can Eylem, Engin Kocak, Emirhan Nemutlu, Emel Emregul, Matteo D'Este, Burak Derkus
Summary: This work presents a hybrid hydrogel consisting of two components, polysaccharide and protein-based, which can modulate cancer cell adhesion by adjusting the component ratio. The hydrogel with a higher concentration of hyaluronic acid-tyramine leads to the formation of quasi-spheroids, while the hydrogel with a higher concentration of gelatin-tyramine promotes the formation of an invasive monolayer culture.
Article
Developmental Biology
Adam Packard, William H. Klein, Frank Costantini
Summary: Research has shown that Ret signaling in kidney development is crucial for maintaining tip cells in the ureteric bud. Cells genetically forced to maintain Ret expression exhibit a tip-seeking behavior and self-organize into dense clusters in organoids. This suggests that Ret-dependent cell behaviors play a significant role in normal branching morphogenesis.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Alberto Elosegui-Artola, Anupam Gupta, Alexander J. Najibi, Bo Ri Seo, Ryan Garry, Christina M. Tringides, Irene de Lazaro, Max Darnell, Wei Guo, Qiao Zhou, David A. Weitze, L. Mahadevan, David J. Mooney
Summary: This study reveals that the viscoelastic properties of the extracellular matrix can regulate the spatial and temporal development of breast epithelial cell tissue. Matrix viscoelasticity triggers symmetry breaking and the formation of finger-like protrusions, as well as the transition from epithelial to mesenchymal state. This research provides important insights into stress relaxation mechanisms in tissue growth dynamics.
Review
Oncology
Isabella Maria Mayer, Andrea Hoelbl-Kovacic, Veronika Sexl, Eszter Doma
Summary: Transplantation of adult hematopoietic stem cells is crucial for treating hematological disorders, while leukemic stem cells play a significant role in disease initiation and relapse. Understanding methods to maintain and expand hematopoietic cells, as well as isolate and enrich hematopoietic stem cells and leukemic stem cells, is essential for developing therapeutic strategies.
Review
Cell Biology
Katharine Goodwin, Celeste M. Nelson
Summary: Mechanical forces play a crucial role in development, with both intrinsic and extrinsic signals affecting morphogenesis. Recent studies have highlighted the diversity and importance of mechanical influences during development. There are promising avenues for future research in this rapidly expanding field.
DEVELOPMENTAL CELL
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Kimihito Nomi, Ryuhei Hayashi, Yuki Ishikawa, Yuki Kobayashi, Tomohiko Katayama, Andrew J. Quantock, Kohji Nishida
Summary: Through SEAM cells derived from human-induced pluripotent stem cells, we depict the development of the human conjunctiva. Our study reveals that EGF drives the generation of conjunctival epithelial lineage cells, while KGF is essential for the maturation of conjunctival epithelium, particularly the goblet cells.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Yaoxian Xu, Christoph Kuppe, Javier Perales-Paton, Sikander Hayat, Jennifer Kranz, Ali T. Abdallah, James Nagai, Zhijian Li, Fabian Peisker, Turgay Saritas, Maurice Halder, Sylvia Menzel, Konrad Hoeft, Annegien Kenter, Hyojin Kim, Claudia R. C. van Roeyen, Michael Lehrke, Julia Moellmann, Thimoteus Speer, Eva M. Buhl, Remco Hoogenboezem, Peter Boor, Jitske Jansen, Cordula Knopp, Ingo Kurth, Bart Smeets, Eric Bindels, Marlies E. J. Reinders, Carla Baan, Joost Gribnau, Ewout J. Hoorn, Joachim Steffens, Tobias B. Huber, Ivan Costa, Jurgen Floege, Rebekka K. Schneider, Julio Saez-Rodriguez, Benjamin S. Freedman, Rafael Kramann
Summary: Adult kidney organoids, known as tubuloids, are derived from a distinct CD24(+) epithelial subpopulation and can be used to model autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) and study drug response. The study found similarities in gene expression between gene-edited tubuloids and ADPKD patients' tissue, demonstrating the potential of tubuloids in ADPKD disease modeling. Additionally, the approved drug for ADPKD, tolvaptan, was found to have a significant effect on cyst size in tubuloids but not in pluripotent stem cell-derived models.
Article
Materials Science, Biomaterials
Oliver G. Frost, Nazanin Owji, Richard Thorogate, Christos Kyriakidis, Prasad Sawadkar, Nicola Mordan, Jonathan C. Knowles, Ferdinand Lali, Elena Garcia-Gareta
Summary: Cell morphology plays a crucial role in cell-biomaterial surface interactions, indicating ideal candidates for various applications and reducing screening and development time.
BIOMATERIALS SCIENCE
(2021)
Review
Neurosciences
Chiara Ossola, Nereo Kalebic
Summary: The development of the cerebral cortex is a complex process, and disturbances in the characteristics of neural progenitor cells are associated with cortical developmental abnormalities that can lead to neurodevelopmental disorders.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Donghyun Kim, Yeo-Jun Yoon, Dojin Choi, Jisun Kim, Jae-Yol Lim
Summary: This study demonstrated lumen formation in mouse submandibular gland organoids using a three-dimensional culture system. The formation of lumens was induced by vasoactive intestinal peptide and accelerated by retinoic acid treatment. RA signaling was identified as playing a crucial role in regulating VIPR1 and KRT7 for lumen formation.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Neurosciences
Carla Belmonte-Mateos, Cristina Pujades
Summary: The central nervous system exhibits a wide diversity of neurons with specific cell types and proportions in the appropriate locations. The coordination of proliferation and differentiation is crucial for generating brains with specific size and cell composition. Understanding how cell diversity arises from pluripotent progenitor cells and how progenitor potential changes over time is an important focus in developmental neurobiology.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Review
Developmental Biology
Jesse V. Veenvliet, Pierre-Francois Lenne, David A. Turner, Iftach Nachman, Vikas Trivedi
Summary: During embryogenesis, organisms develop their shape under various constraints imposed by geometry, mechanics, and biochemistry. Understanding the mechanisms that pattern and shape the mammalian embryo is challenging due to the inaccessibility of live embryos for direct observation. Developmental engineering of embryo-like structures from pluripotent stem cells provides a way to study these mechanisms. By modulating the cellular environment, researchers can identify the essential mechanical and biochemical inputs required for embryo patterning and shaping. Further studies on tissue biochemistry, mechanics, and geometry at different scales can provide insights into the mechanochemical feedback loops governing embryo morphogenesis. Additionally, inherent phenotypic variability in stembryos can be leveraged to understand the constraints that ensure reproducible morphogenesis in vivo.
Article
Biology
Yelena Y. Bernadskaya, Haicen Yue, Calina Copos, Lionel Christiaen, Alex Mogilner
Summary: The study found that the Ciona cardiopharyngeal progenitors are the simplest cell collective maintaining supracellular polarity, with differential distributions of protrusive forces, cell-matrix adhesion, and myosin-based retraction forces along the leader-trailer axis. Simulations and experiments suggest that cell-cell communication helps establish a hierarchy to align collective polarity with the direction of migration in three or more cells.
Article
Biology
Alan Garfinkel, Steve Bennoun, Eric Deeds, Blaire Van Valkenburgh
Summary: There is a need for a new kind of math course in biology that focuses on dynamics and modeling to improve student perceptions and performance.
BULLETIN OF MATHEMATICAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biology
Christopher G. Griffis, Janki Mistry, Kendall Islam, Tamara Cutler, Christopher S. Colwell, Alan Garfinkel
Summary: This study analyzed core body temperature recordings in mice and identified an 8-hour ultradian rhythm that is lost in aging and Huntington's disease model. These findings suggest that ultradian rhythms in core body temperature may serve as a useful biomarker for central nervous system pathology.
CHRONOBIOLOGY INTERNATIONAL
(2022)
Review
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Zhilin Qu, Michael B. Liu, Riccardo Olcese, Hrayr Karagueuzian, Alan Garfinkel, Peng-Sheng Chen, James N. Weiss
Summary: Initiation of reentry requires a triggering event and a vulnerable substrate. The triggering event is usually premature ventricular complexes (PVCs), while the vulnerable substrate occurs during the T wave of the electrocardiogram. Recent evidence suggests that PVCs can arise from both a separate region and the T wave itself, referred to as R-to-T and R-from-T mechanisms, respectively. Strategies targeting both triggers and substrate vulnerability are important for preventing R-from-T arrhythmias.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Lingyun Xiong (Ivy), Alan Garfinkel
Summary: Genetic alterations in the p53 pathway commonly found in human cancers abolish the oscillatory competence of p53, impairing its tumor suppressive function.
PROGRESS IN BIOPHYSICS & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biophysics
Chenyu Cui, Cia-Hin Lau, Lok Ting Chu, Hoi Kwan Kwong, Chung Tin, Ting-Hsuan Chen
Summary: In this study, a multimodal detection of FEN1 activity based on CRISPR/Cas12a was developed. The method allows for efficient signal amplification and achieves a low limit of detection, making it a promising approach for cancer diagnosis.
BIOSENSORS & BIOELECTRONICS
(2023)
Article
Physiology
Christopher B. Cooper, Alan Garfinkel
Summary: The kinetic response of oxygen uptake to transitions of exercise intensity is an important parameter of aerobic function. A novel geometric method is developed to determine the time constant of oxygen uptake using slopes and intercepts of a plot of cumulative oxygen uptake versus time, without requiring multiple repetitions of the exercise protocol.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Mechanics
Ran Xiao, Xiaobin Feng, Wengang Liu, Wenzhao Zhou, Xiang Li, Insu Song, Mingyang Ding, Yiru Pu, Dingkun Zhang, Rong Fan, Ting-Hsuan Chen, Yang Lu
Summary: Through high-resolution projection micro-stereolithography (PμSL) 3D printing and metal thin film deposition, we designed and manufactured thin-walled 3D-printed composite cardiovascular stents with sufficient radial supporting ability. By using a negative Poisson's ratio (NPR) microlattice structure as the scaffold and sputtering with gold (Au) nano thin film, we achieved radial compressive strengthening and thickness reduction of the stents.
COMPOSITE STRUCTURES
(2023)
Review
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Angelica Zambrano, Yin Tintut, Linda L. Demer, Jeffrey J. Hsu
Summary: Recent studies have found that high volumes of physical activity in older male endurance athletes are associated with increased levels of coronary artery calcification (CAC), although the exact mechanisms are still not well understood. Possible mechanisms include increased exposure to inflammatory cytokines, reactive oxygen species, and oxidized low-density lipoproteins. Other factors such as elevated circulating parathyroid hormone and long-term exposure to non-laminar blood flow in individuals with pre-existing atherosclerosis during strenuous physical activity may also contribute to the increased calcification. Furthermore, the role of testosterone in this process remains uncertain. This review discusses the association between high-volume endurance exercise and CAC in older men, explores potential mechanisms, and provides clinical implications and recommendations for those at risk.
Editorial Material
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Xinjiang Cai, Yin Tintut, Linda L. L. Demer
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Neil U. Parikh, Neal M. Dixit, Austin B. Churchill, Andrea Oliveira-Kowaleski, Ryan P. Lau, Gregory A. Fishbein, Jeffrey J. Hsu
Summary: This case report describes a 48-year-old man who developed accelerated cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) 2 months after a mild COVID-19 infection. Although CAV is known to be associated with certain viruses, it is unclear if prior SARS-CoV-2 infection increases the risk of CAV development in heart transplant recipients.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF CASE REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Siying Wu, Lingyan Ruan, Jianpeng Wu, Minghui Wu, Lok Ting Chu, Hoi Kwan Kwong, Miu Ling Lam, Ting-Hsuan Chen
Summary: This study presents a method to guide the formation of skeletal myotubes into scalable and controlled patterns. By inducing C2C12 myoblasts onto grooved patterns of different widths, an enhanced chiral orientation of cells was observed on wide grooves. This chiral orientation was driven by active chiral nematics of cells involving migration and rotation of the cell nucleus. The formation of chiral myotubes with improved characteristics was suppressed by the treatment of latrunculin A, suggesting the importance of chiral nematics for myogenesis. Additionally, intricate and scalable patterns of myotubes were formed by arranging wide grooved/striped patterns with corresponding compensation angles to synergize microtopographic cues and chiral nematics of cells.
Review
Neurosciences
Lingyun (Ivy) Xiong, Alan Garfinkel
Summary: This article argues that oscillations play critical physiological roles in avoiding desensitization, maintaining balanced chemical levels, increasing resistance to noise, reconciling incompatible conditions, and synchronizing small units into one large effect. It also emphasizes the importance of a dynamic approach and nonlinear dynamics in understanding and studying oscillatory processes in various levels of biological systems.
JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-LONDON
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Minghui Wu, Hogi Hartanto, Siying Wu, Tianyi Jiang, Gaobo Wang, Ting-Hsuan Chen
Summary: This article introduces a portable method for visualizing alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels in serum, which can be used as a biomarker for various cancers and for screening congenital disorders. It utilizes magnetic microparticles and polystyrene microparticles to bind with AFP simultaneously, and a microfluidic chip with a magnetic separator to separate unconnected polystyrene microparticles, enabling the visualization of AFP levels. The device can be used in both sensitive mode (70 min incubation) and rapid mode (15 min incubation), with limits of detection of 15.8 ng/ml and 34.3 ng/ml, respectively, in undiluted serum samples.
SENSORS AND ACTUATORS B-CHEMICAL
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Chenyu Cui, Ting-Hsuan Chen
Summary: In this study, a novel strategy for detecting hOGG1 activity based on CRISPR/Cas12a trans-cleavage triggered by cleavage ligation of a dumbbell DNA probe (DBP) designed with an 8-oxoG modification was developed. The method showed high sensitivity and selectivity, and demonstrated good compatibility for detecting hOGG1 activity in cell lysates, suggesting its potential application in disease diagnosis and scientific research.
Meeting Abstract
Hematology
Jeffrey J. Hsu, Sriharsha Talapaneni, Chau Ly, Leela Wong, Amy Rowat, Yin Tintut, Linda L. Demer
ARTERIOSCLEROSIS THROMBOSIS AND VASCULAR BIOLOGY
(2022)