Extracellular Matrix News Volume 7.47 | Dec 1 2016

TOP STORY

An iPSC-Derived Vascular Model of Marfan Syndrome Identifies Key Mediators of Smooth Muscle Cell Death

Marfan syndrome (MFS) is a heritable connective tissue disorder caused by mutations in FBN1, which encodes the extracellular matrix protein fibrillin-1. To investigate the pathogenesis of aortic aneurysms in MFS, researchers generated a vascular model derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells. [Nat Genet] Abstract | Press Release

(Ranked by impact factor of the journal)

Hic-5 Remodeling of the Stromal Matrix Promotes Breast Tumor Progression

To investigate the role of Hic-5 in breast tumor progression in vivo, Hic-5^−/− mice were generated and crossed with the Mouse Mammary Tumor Virus-Polyoma Middle T-Antigen mouse. Tumors from the Hic-5^−/−;PyMT mice exhibited increased latency and reduced growth, with fewer lung metastases, as compared with Hic-5^+/−;PyMT mice. [Oncogene] Abstract

Maturation of Human Embryonic Stem Cell-Derived Cardiomyocytes (hESC-CMs) in 3D Collagen Matrix: Effects of Niche Cell Supplementation and Mechanical Stimulation

Researchers fabricated cardiac muscle strips by encapsulating hESC-CMs in collagen-based biomaterials. Supplementation of niche cells at 3% to the number of hESC-CMs enhanced the maturation of the hESC-CMs in 3-dimensional (3D) tissue matrix. The benefits of adding mesenchymal stem cells were comparable to that of adding fibroblasts. [Acta Biomater] Abstract

Responsive, Multifunctional Drug Delivery Nanoparticles for Elastic Matrix Regenerative Repair

Based on the hypothesis that the incorporation of superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIONs) nanoparticles (NPs) within these poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) NPs would enhance their targetability to the abdominal aortic aneurysms site under an applied external magnetic field, the authors sought to evaluate the functional effects of NPs co-encapsulating doxycycline and SPIONs on elastic matrix regeneration and metalloprotease synthesis/activity in vitro within aneurysmal smooth muscle cell cultures. [Acta Biomater] Abstract

A Bioinspired Ultraporous Nanofiber-Hydrogel Mimic of the Cartilage Extracellular Matrix

Articular cartilage is a composite tissue made of cells and fibrillar proteins embedded in a hydrophilic polymeric meshwork. Here, a polyanionic functionalized alginate was used to mimic the glycosaminoglycan component of the native extracellular matrix. [Adv Healthc Mater] Abstract

ECM Proteins in a Microporous Scaffold Influence Hepatocyte Morphology, Function, and Gene Expression

A series of extracellular matrix (ECM)-functionalized inverted colloidal crystal inverted colloidal crystal (ICC) microporous scaffolds were fabricated and their influence on Huh-7.5 cell proliferation, morphology, hepatic-specific functions, and patterns of gene expression were compared. Both collagen and fibronectin promoted albumin production and liver-specific gene expression of Huh-7.5 cells, compared with the bare ICC scaffold. [Sci Rep] Full Article

Investigation of Cell-Substrate Adhesion Properties of Living Chondrocyte by Measuring Adhesive Shear Force and Detachment Using AFM and Inverse FEA

Investigators studied the time-dependent adhesion properties of single living chondrocytes using an advanced coupled experimental-numerical approach. Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) tips will be used to apply lateral forces to detach chondrocytes that are seeded for three different periods. [Sci Rep] Full Article

Region-Specific Effect of the Decellularized Meniscus Extracellular Matrix on Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Based Meniscus Tissue Engineering

Researchers investigated the applicability of meniscus-derived extracellular matrices (mECMs) for meniscus tissue engineering by specifically comparing region-dependent effects of mECMs on 3-dimensional constructs seeded with human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells. [Am J Sports Med] Abstract

Inhibition of Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 Enhances Rod Survival in the S334ter-Line3 Retinitis Pigmentosa Model

Scientists examined the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) -9 and MMP-2 expression levels in the rhodopsin S334ter-line3 retinitis pigmentosa rat model and investigate the impact of treatment with SB-3CT, a specific MMP-9 and MMP-2 inhibitor, on rod cell survival was tested. Retinal MMP-9 and MMP-2 expression levels were quantified by immunoblot analysis from S334ter-line3 rats compared to controls. [PLoS One] Full Article

Effect of Butyrate on Collagen Expression, Cell Viability, Cell Cycle Progression and Related Proteins Expression of MG-63 Osteoblastic Cells

MG-63 cells were exposed to butyrate and cell viability was estimated by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. The mRNA and protein expression of type I collagen and cell cycle-related proteins were measured by reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, western blotting or immunofluorescent staining. Cellular production of reactive oxygen species was analyzed by 2′,7′-dichlorofluorescein fluorescence flow cytometry. [PLoS One] Full Article

Periosteum Mechanobiology and Mechanistic Insights for Regenerative Medicine

Periosteum is a smart mechanobiological material that serves as a habitat and delivery vehicle for stem cells as well as biological factors that modulate tissue genesis and healing. Periosteum’s remarkable regenerative capacity has been harnessed clinically for over two hundred years. Scientific studies over the past decade have begun to decipher the mechanobiology of periosteum, which has a significant role in its regenerative capacity. [Bonekey Rep] Abstract

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

CytRx Reports Statistically Significant Updated Results from Pivotal Phase III Trial of Aldoxorubicin in Patients with Second-Line Soft Tissue Sarcomas

CytRx Corporation announced positive updated results from its pivotal Phase III clinical trial evaluating aldoxorubicin compared to investigator’s choice in patients with relapsed or refractory soft tissue sarcomas. The study, which enrolled 433 patients, demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in progression-free survival between aldoxorubicin and investigator’s choice therapy in 246 patients with leiomyosarcoma and liposarcoma. [CytRx Corporation] Press Release

Celprogen Introduces 3D Printed Human Pancreas that May Someday Be Utilized in Pancreatic Transplants

Celprogen Inc. announced that they have successfully finished printing a 3-dimensional (3D) pancreas from flexible poly lactic acid material scaffold that was populated with adult human pancreatic stem cells. These 3D printed human pancreases were coated and seeded with human adult pancreatic stem cells. The 3D pancreas scaffold was populated with three T225 human Pancreatic Stem Cells 36097-24-T225, and with human adult pancreatic cells 3002-04-T225; the scaffold was coated with ECM prior to seeding the cells. [Celprogen Inc. (Business Wire, Inc.)] Press Release

Battle over US Overtime Pay Rules Leaves Many Postdocs in Limbo

Institutions struggle to respond after court blocks regulations that would have increased wages for junior researchers. Some universities are proceeding with planned salary increases for postdocs, but others have cancelled — or at least, temporarily halted — changes to researchers’ pay. The uncertainty over how the legal battle will play out is already affecting some postdocs’ career and family plans. [Nature News] Editorial

FDA Chief Pushes Back against Criticism of Stem Cell Treatment Regulations

The country’s top drug regulators pushed back on claims they move too slowly in approving new stem cell treatments and sought to temper expectations for the field’s potential to benefit patients, emphasizing the hazards and the unknowns that persist with developing such therapies. [STAT News] Editorial

Congress Poised to Pass Sweeping Biomedical Innovation Bill

Congress is poised to approve a massive piece of legislation that would provide the National Institutes of Health with $4.8 billion over the next decade for a set of research initiatives, including brain and cancer research and efforts to develop so-called precision medicine treatments that are tailored to an individual’s genetic makeup. [ScienceInsider] Editorial

Spanish Military Flies Lab Animals to Canary Islands after Airlines Refuse to Take Them on Board

Twenty-nine transgenic mice that two Spanish airlines had refused to transport hitched a ride to the Canary Islands on a military plane Friday and are now at their final destination, the University of La Laguna on Tenerife in Spain. The mice, bred in the United States, had been stranded in Madrid for two months because Iberia and Air Europa have stopped shipping laboratory animals. [ScienceInsider] Editorial

NEW Stem Cell Summit
April 26-28, 2017
Boston, United States

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

NEW PhD Fellowship – Structural Biology of Virus-Glycan Interactions (Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces)

NEW Senior Principal Scientist – Medicinal Chemistry (AstraZeneca)

NEW Postdoctoral Fellow – Decorin and Perlecan (Thomas Jefferson University)

NEW HR Analytics Solutions Senior Specialist – Reporting & Analytics Solutions (Merck)

Clinical Trials Fellow – Psoriasis, Psoriatic Arthritis, Connective Tissue Disorders (Harvard Medical School)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Focal Adhesions Proteins in Hypertrophy/Hyperplasia and Reorganization of the Extracellular Matrix (Medical Faculty Heidelberg)

Postdoctoral Research Associate – Biomechanical Properties of the Cartilage Extracellular Matrix (University of Liverpool)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Scaffold Design & Drug/Gene Delivery (Nanyang Technological University)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Non-Viral Gene Delivery for Neural Tissue Engineering Research (Nanyang Technological University)

Postdoctoral Researcher – Enamel Proteins and Biomineralization (University of California, San Francisco)

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