Extracellular Matrix News Volume 11.07 | Feb 27 2020

TOP STORY

The Aging Skin Microenvironment Dictates Stem Cell Behavior

Researchers employed single-cell RNA-sequencing to interrogate aging-related changes in the hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs). Surprisingly, although numbers declined, aging HFSCs were present, maintained their identity, and showed no overt signs of shifting to an epidermal fate. [Proc Natl Acad Sci USA] Abstract

(Ranked by impact factor of the journal)

PLGA-Collagen-ECM Hybrid Meshes Mimicking Stepwise Osteogenesis and Their Influence on the Osteogenic Differentiation of hMSCs

Stepwise osteogenesis-mimicking ECM-deposited poly (lactic-coglycolic acid) (PLGA)-collagen hybrid meshes showed different ECM compositions associated with the stage of osteogenesis, and their effects on the osteogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) differed. Early stage-ECM scaffold increased and late stage ECM scaffold moderately promoted the osteogenic differentiation of hMSCs. [Biofabrication] Abstract

Multifunctional Load-Bearing Hybrid Hydrogel with Combined Drug Release and Photothermal Conversion Functions

Investigators developed a novel hybrid hydrogel system consisting of glycerol-modified PVA hydrogel reinforced by a 3D printed PCL-graphene composite scaffold. The composition of the hydrogel within the hybrid material was optimized to achieve high water retention and enhanced stiffness. [NPG Asia Mater] Full Article

Identifying Conserved Molecular Targets Required for Cell Migration of Glioblastoma Cancer Stem Cells

Rap1a expression was elevated in glioblastoma and associated with higher tumor grade. Functionally, the levels of activated Rap1a impacted cancer stem cell migration speed out of spheres onto ECM. [Cell Death Dis] Full Article

Interaction of Calcium Binding Protein S100A16 with Myosin-9 Promotes Cytoskeleton Reorganization in Renal Tubulointerstitial Fibrosis

The expression of epithelia marker E-cadherin, mesenchymal markers N-cadherin, and vimentin, ECM protein, and S100A16, as well as the organization of F-actin, were investigated in S100A16 overexpression or knockdown HK-2 cells. Mass spectrometry was employed to screen for S100A16 binding proteins in HK-2 cells. [Cell Death Dis] Full Article

A Representative Metalloprotease Induces PGE₂ Synthesis in Fibroblast-Like Synoviocytes via the NF-κB/COX-2 Pathway with Amplification by IL-1β and the EP4 Receptor

The authors showed that the snake venom metalloprotease BaP1 activated fibroblas-like synoviocytes to produce PGE₂ by a mechanism dependent on COX-2, mPGES-1 and iPLA₂s. BaP1 also induced IL-1β release, which up-regulated the production of PGE₂ at a late stage of the stimulation. Expression of COX-2 and mPGES-1 were induced by BaP1 via activation of NF-κB pathway. [Sci Rep] Full Article

ATDC5 Cells as a Model of Cartilage Extracellular Matrix Neosynthesis, Maturation and Assembly

Insulin-stimulated ATDC5 cells exhibited up- or down-regulation of more than 100 proteins, including a number of known participants in chondrogenesis and major markers thereof. However, they also lacked several ECM components considered of significant, yet more subtle, function in cartilage. [J Proteomics] Abstract | Graphical Abstract

M₃ Receptor Modulates Extracellular Matrix Synthesis via ERK1/2 Signaling Pathway in Human Bladder Smooth Muscle Cells

Researchers investigated the effect of muscarinic receptors on the synthesis of ECM in human bladder smooth muscle cells (HBSMCs) and the involvement of intracellular signal transducers. The results indicated that M1-M5 muscarinic receptors were all encoded in HBSMCs. [J Cell Biochem] Abstract

Extracellular cGAMP Is a Cancer-Cell-Produced Immunotransmitter Involved in Radiation-Induced Anticancer Immunity

Scientists detected that 2′3′-Cyclic GMP-AMP (cGAMP) was continuously exported but then efficiently cleared by ENPP1, explaining why it has previously escaped detection. By developing potent, specific and cell-impermeable ENPP1 inhibitors, they found that cancer cells continuously exported cGAMP in culture at steady state and at higher levels when treated with ionizing radiation. [Nat Cancer] Abstract

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The Stiffness of Living Tissues and Its Implications for Tissue Engineering

The authors gather together the most important data on the stiffness of living tissues and discus the intricacies of tissue stiffness from a materials perspective, highlighting the main challenges associated with engineering lifelike tissues and proposing a unified view of this as yet unreported topic. [Nat Rev Mater] Abstract

Cross-Talk between the Tumor Microenvironment, Extracellular Matrix, and Cell Metabolism in Cancer

Investigators describe how the tumor microenvironment and cancer-associated fibroblasts dictate cancer cell metabolism, resulting in increased tumor progression. They define the cross-talk between nutrient signaling and the trafficking of the ECM receptors of the integrin family. [Front Oncol] Full Article

Gastrointestinal Tract Modeling Using Organoids Engineered with Cellular and Microbiota Niches

Scientists review recent progress made in elucidating the crosstalk between gastrointestinal organoids and components of their microenvironment. They outline the effects of stromal cells on the gastric and intestinal epithelia of organoids. [Exp Mol Med] Full Article

Visit our reviews page to see a complete list of reviews in the extracellular matrix research field.

UCLA Raises $5.49 Billion in One of Most Ambitious Campaigns Ever by a Public University

The Centennial Campaign for University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) has raised $5.49 billion. As UCLA enters its second century, the funds are already supporting a broad array of priorities, including student scholarships and fellowships, faculty research, and programs that enrich communities in Los Angeles and beyond. [University of California, Los Angeles] Press Release

MTF Biologics Awards $1.8 Million in 2019 Extramural Research Grants

MTF Biologics has awarded over $1.8 million in funding to twelve researchers across the nation through its 2019 Extramural Research Grants Program. [MTF Biologics (Business Wire, Inc.)] Press Release

Federal Judge Rules Clinical Trial Sponsors Must Publish a Decade’s Worth of Missing Data

For years, government research agencies have misinterpreted a law that requires them to collect and post clinical trial data, a federal judge ruled this week, leaving behind a 10-year gap in data that now must be made publicly available. [STAT News] Editorial

Contract Offers Unprecedented Look at Google Deal to Obtain Patient Data from the University of California

It was the fall of 2015 when researchers from Google and the University of California, San Francisco, first sat down together to hash out a research collaboration in an area that has since exploded with activity: using artificial intelligence to make predictions in the hospital. [STAT News] Editorial

NEW Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine Asia-Pacific (TERMIS-AP) Conference 2020
September 21-24, 2020
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Visit our events page to see a complete list of events in the community.

NEW Postdoctoral Researcher – Myometrial ECM (University of Vermont)

Investigator – Single Cell Genomics (GlaxoSmithKline USA)

Researcher – Biomaterials Scientist (Aspect Biosystems)

Postdoctoral Researchers – Regulatory RNA and Cell-Cell Communication (Brigham and Women’s Hospital)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Mechanisms of TGF-Beta Activiation (Genentech, Inc.)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Extracellular Superoxide Dismutase (Vascular Biology Center)

Postdoctoral Researcher – Computational Biology (Medical University of Gdańsk)

Research Associate – Oncology (Zymeworks, Inc.)

Research Scientist – Tumor Microenvironment (Systimmune, Inc.)

Scientist – Regenerative Medicine (Xtant Medical, Inc.)

Master Thesis – Hydrogels and Microfluid Environments (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology)

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