| TOP STORY | Three-Dimensional Scaffolds a New Tool to Fight Cancer Porous polymer scaffolds fabricated to support the growth of biological tissue for implantation may hold the potential to greatly accelerate the development of cancer therapeutics. Researchers report that three-dimensional scaffolds used to culture Ewing’s sarcoma cells were effective at mimicking the environment in which such tumors develop. [Press release from Rice University discussing online prepublication in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America] Press Release | Abstract |
| PUBLICATIONS (Ranked by impact factor of the journal) | Procollagen C-Proteinase Enhancer Grasps the Stalk of the C-Propeptide Trimer to Boost Collagen Precursor Maturation Researchers used small-angle X-ray scattering to provide structural data on a protein complex indicating that procollagen C-proteinase enhancer proteins binds to the stalk region of the procollagen C-propeptide trimer, where the three polypeptide chains associate together, at the junction with the base region. [Proc Natl Acad Sci USA] Abstract Collagen Prolyl Hydroxylases Are Essential for Breast Cancer Metastasis Scientists demonstrated that hypoxia-inducible factor 1 activates the transcription of genes encoding collagen prolyl hydroxylases that are critical for collagen deposition by breast cancer cells. They showed that expression of collagen prolyl hydroxylases promotes cancer cell alignment along collagen fibers, resulting in enhanced invasion and metastasis to lymph nodes and lungs. [Cancer Res] Abstract The Collagen Component of Biological Bone Graft Substitutes Promotes Ectopic Bone Formation by Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells The authors examined whether bone formation variability of mesenchymal stem cells is cell-intrinsic or biomaterial-dependent and may be improved using biological bone substitutes with and without collagen. [Acta Biomater] Abstract Stiff Collagen Matrices Increase Tumorigenic Prolactin Signaling in Breast Cancer Cells Investigators examined consequences of increased extracellular matrix stiffness on prolactin signals to luminal breast cancer cells in 3D collagen I matrices in vitro. They showed that matrix stiffness potently regulates a switch in prolactin signals from physiologic to pro-tumorigenic outcomes. [J Biol Chem] Abstract | Full Article Leukocyte Integrins αLβ2, αMβ2 and αXβ2 as Collagen Receptors-Receptor Activation and Recognition of GFOGER Motif To make the first systematical comparison of human αLβ2, αMβ2 and αXβ2 as collagen receptors, the authors produced the corresponding integrin αI domains both in wild-type and activated form and measured their binding to collagens I-VI. [Int J Biochem Cell Biol] Abstract High-Bandwidth AFM-Based Rheology Reveals that Cartilage Is Most Sensitive to High Loading Rates at Early Stages of Impairment Utilizing a newly developed atomic-force-microscopy-based wide-frequency rheology system, scientists measured the dynamic nanomechanical behavior of normal and glycosaminoglycan-depleted cartilage, the latter representing matrix degradation that occurs at the earliest stages of osteoarthritis. [Biophys J] Abstract Transglutaminase Type 2 in Human Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Is a Potential Factor in the Stabilization of Extracellular Matrix Researchers aimed to evaluate transglutaminase type 2 (TG2) expression in human abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) tissue and to elucidate a potential role of TG2 in AAA formation. TG2, which is a Ca2+-dependent cross-linking enzyme, has been proven important for stabilizing the extracellular matrix. However, there is no evidence of the effect of TG2 on AAA formation in a human model. [J Vasc Surg] Abstract Type I Collagen and Polyvinyl Alcohol Blend Fiber Scaffold for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction The authors performed an evaluation of a braided fiber scaffold for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. The scaffold was composed of 50% type I collagen and 50% polyvinyl alcohol. Histology and immunohistology analysis showed the morphology and major extracellular matrix components of the regenerated ligament resembled the native ACL. [Biomed Mater] Abstract Sliding Indentation Enhances Collagen Content and Depth-Dependent Matrix Distribution in Tissue Engineered Articular Cartilage Scientists developed a dedicated loading regime called ‘sliding indentation’ which enabled them to apply dynamic tension as well as depth-varying strain fields to chondrocyte-seeded agarose constructs. In two study designs, they explored whether sliding indentation would increase collagen content and induce depth-varying ECM distribution. [Tissue Eng Part A] Abstract |
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