Extracellular Matrix News Volume 6.32 | Aug 20 2015

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    Extracellular Matrix News 6.32 August 20, 2015

    Extracellular Matrix News

         In this issue: Publications | Reviews | Industry News | Policy News | Events | Jobs
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    TOP STORY
    Study Reveals New Insight into Tumor Progression
    Scientists have shown that epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFR) may be shut down with the help of a cytokine known as MIF (macrophage migration inhibitory factor). MIF appears to be vital to regulation of EGFR activation in tumor cells’ extracellular or external environment. [Press release from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center discussing online prepublication in Nature Cell Biology] Press Release | Abstract
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    PUBLICATIONS (Ranked by impact factor of the journal)
    Obesity-Dependent Changes in Interstitial ECM Mechanics Promote Breast Tumorigenesis
    Scientists examined the cellular, structural, and molecular changes that happen in breast tissue in obese animals and people. They found that obesity induces fibrotic remodeling of the mammary fat pad, leading to changes in extracellular matrix (ECM) mechanical properties, via myofibroblasts and adipose stem cells, regardless of ovary function. [Sci Transl Med] Abstract | Press Release

    Mechanical Forces Regulate the Interactions of Fibronectin and Collagen I in Extracellular Matrix
    Investigators exploited fibronectin (Fn)-FRET probes as mechanical strain sensors and demonstrated that collagen I fibers preferentially co-localize with more-relaxed Fn fibrils in the extracellular matrix of fibroblasts in cell culture. Fiber stretch-assay studies reveal that collagen I’s Fn-binding domain is responsible for the mechano-regulated interaction. [Nat Commun] Full Article

    Reduced Matrix Rigidity Promotes Neonatal Cardiomyocyte Dedifferentiation, Proliferation and Clonal Expansion
    Scientists explored the role of the mechanical properties of the underlying matrix in the regulation of cardiomyocyte (CM) maturation. They showed that rat and mouse neonatal CMs cultured on rigid surfaces exhibited increased myofibrillar organization, spread morphology, and reduced cell cycle activity. [eLife] Abstract | Full Article

    Keratinocyte Microvesicles Regulate the Expression of Multiple Genes in Dermal Fibroblasts
    Researchers investigated whether microvesicle-like structures are present in human wounds and whether they affect wound healing-associated gene expression in dermal fibroblasts. [J Invest Dermatol] Abstract

    GnRH-(1-5) Activates Matrix Metallopeptidase-9 to Release Epidermal Growth Factor and Promote Cellular Invasion
    Researchers demonstrated that these gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH)-(1–5) effects are dependent on increased matrix metallopeptidase (MMP)-9 enzymatic activity in the Ishikawa and ECC-1 cell lines. Furthermore, the effects of GnRH-(1–5) mediated by GPR101 and the subsequent increase in MMP-9 enzymatic activity lead to an increase in cellular invasion. [Mol Cell Endocrinol] Abstract

    Soluble Extracellular Matrix Metalloproteinase Inducer (EMMPRIN, EMN) Regulates Cancer-Related Cellular Functions by Homotypic Interactions with Surface CD147
    Scientists employed a recombinant soluble, fully glycosylated EMMPRIN domain as a tool to characterize the structural basis of EMMPRIN-EMMPRIN receptor-contacts and their functional effects on MCF-7 breast carcinoma cells. [FEBS J] Abstract

    Dexamethasone-Mediated Activation of Fibronectin Matrix Assembly Reduces Dispersal of Primary Human Glioblastoma Cells
    Researchers utilized a broad range of qualitative and quantitative assays and the use of a human glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) tissue microarray and freshly-isolated primary human GBM cells grown both as conventional 2D cultures and as 3D spheroids to explore the role of dexamethasone and fibronectin matrix assembly in modulating various parameters that can significantly influence tumor cell dispersal. [PLoS One] Full Article

    Extracellular Matrix Stiffness Regulates Osteogenic Differentiation through MAPK Activation
    Investigators showed that extracellular matrix stiffness regulates mesenchymal stem cell fate through ERK or JNK activation. Specifically, a stiff hydrogel matrix stimulates osteogenic differentiation concomitant with increased nuclear localization of transcriptional coactivator with PDZ-binding motif, but inhibits adipogenic differentiation. [PLoS One] Full Article

    Lower Crosslinking Density Enhances Functional Nucleus Pulposus-Like Matrix Elaboration by Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Carboxymethylcellulose Hydrogels
    The authors investigated the influence of carboxymethylcellulose crosslinking density, by varying macromer concentration and modification percentage, on nucleus pulposus-like differentiation of encapsulated human mesenchymal stem cells. Constructs of lower macromer concentration exhibited significantly greater collagen II accumulation, more homogeneous distribution of extracellular matrix macromolecules, and a temporal increase in mechanical properties compared to hydrogels of higher macromer concentration. [J Biomed Res] Abstract

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    REVIEWS
    Glycosylation in Cancer: Mechanisms and Clinical Implications
    The authors discuss the role of glycans in fundamental mechanisms controlling cancer development and progression, and their applications in oncology. [Nat Rev Cancer] Abstract

    Skin Tissue Repair: Matrix Microenvironmental Influences
    Scientists are beginning to appreciate the complex roles played by the matrix in directing the outcome of the repair processes, and how this impacts the signals from the various cells. Recent findings speak of dynamic and reciprocal interactions that occur among the matrix, growth factors, and cells that underlie this integrated process. [Matrix Biol] Abstract

    Visit our reviews page to see a complete list of reviews in the Extracellular Matrix research field.

     
    INDUSTRY NEWS
    Capturing Cell Growth in 3-D
    MIT spinout AIM Biotech has developed a microfluidics device — based on years of research — that lets researchers co-culture multiple cell types in a 3-D hydrogel environment that mimics natural tissue. [Massachusetts Institute of Technology] Press Release

    Lovell Government Services Awarded a VA FSS Contract for CorMatrix® ECM® Surgical Implants
    CorMatrix® Cardiovascular Inc. announced its first Veterans Health Administration Contract Award through its Federal distribution partner, Lovell Government Services LLC. The contract award number #V797D-50450 enables the VA and other federal organizations to purchase any of the CorMatrix® products at pre-approved pricing via the Veterans Administration’s FSS Online Schedule. [CorMatrix® Cardiovascular Inc.] Press Release

    $52 Million NIH Grant Advances Clinical and Translational Research at UC San Diego
    The Clinical and Translational Research Institute at University of California, San Diego has received a five-year Clinical and Translational Science Award for approximately $52 million from the National Center for Advancing Translational Science, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). [UC San Diego Health] Press Release

    NIH Grant Will Fund IUPUI Research into Collagen’s Role in Bone Fracture Resistance
    A biomedical engineering researcher at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) has received a $419,000 National Institutes of Health grant to uncover why mechanical stimulation of bones increases their resistance to fractures. [Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis] Press Release

    Regenerating Nerve Tissue in Spinal Cord Injuries
    Researchers at Rush University Medical Center are exploring a new therapy using stem cells to treat spinal cord injuries within the first 14 to 30 days of injury. The therapy uses a population of cells derived from human embryonic stem cells containing progenitor cells that support nerve cells and can potentially make poorly functioning nerves function better. [Rush University Medical Center] Press Release

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    POLICY NEWS
    National Institutes of Health (United States)

    Food and Drug Administration (United States)

    Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (United States)

    European Medicines Agency (European Union)

    Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (United Kingdom)

    Therapeutic Goods Administration (Australia)

     
    EVENTS
    NEW Gordon Research Conference – Tissue Niches & Resident Stem Cells in Adult Epithelia
    August 7-12, 2016
    Hong Kong, China

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

     
    JOB OPPORTUNITIES
    NEW Cell Biology Lab Manager (Harvard Apparatus Regenerative Technology, Inc.)

    Postdoctoral Fellowships – Embryonic Stem Cells, Bio-NEMS, Tissue Engineering (University of South Carolina)

    Postdoctoral Fellow – Musculoskeletal Tissue Regeneration (University of Connecticut Health Center)

    Assistant Professor – Cell Biology or Molecular and Cellular Mechanisms (Washington University School of Medicine)

    PhD Position – Materials Engineering (IFP Energies Nouvelles)

    Postdoctoral Research Fellow – Ex Vivo Tumor Organoid Models (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center)

    Assistant Professor – Cell-Based Therapies (Utrecht University)

    Faculty Positions – Biomedical Engineering/Mechanical Engineering (University of California, Davis)

    Scientific Writer – Cardiovascular Regeneration (Houston Methodist Research Institute)

    Postdoctoral Fellow – Stem Cell Biology (INSERM)


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