Extracellular Matrix News 7.48 December 8, 2016 | |
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TOP STORYIntegrin-YAP/TAZ-JNK Cascade Mediates Atheroprotective Effect of Unidirectional Shear Flow Scientists showed that endothelial YAP (Yes-associated protein)/TAZ (transcriptional coactivator with PDZ-binding motif, also known as WWTR1) activity is regulated by different patterns of blood flow, and YAP/TAZ inhibition suppresses inflammation and retards atherogenesis. Atheroprone-disturbed flow increased whereas atheroprotective unidirectional shear stress inhibited YAP/TAZ activity. Unidirectional shear stress activated integrin and promoted integrin-Gα13 interaction, leading to RhoA inhibition and YAP phosphorylation and suppression. [Nature] Abstract | |
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PUBLICATIONS(Ranked by impact factor of the journal)Using a high-throughput microscopic-based drug screen, investigators identified FDA-approved calcium channel blockers as potent inhibitors of filopodia formation in cancer cells. They discovered that L-type calcium channels are functional and frequently expressed in cancer cells suggesting a previously unappreciated role for these channels during tumorigenesis. [Nat Commun] Full Article Oxylipins Produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa Promote Biofilm Formation and Virulence The authors showed that oxylipins derived from this activity inhibit flagellum-driven motility and upregulate type IV pilus-dependent twitching motility of P. aeruginosa. Consequently, these oxylipins promoted bacterial organization in microcolonies, increasing the ability of P. aeruginosa to form biofilms in vitro and in vivo. [Nat Commun] Full Article Basal Cell-Extracellular Matrix Adhesion Regulates Force Transmission during Tissue Morphogenesis Scientists provide evidence that integrin-mediated cell-extracellular matrix adhesion modulates the transmission of apically generated tension during dorsal closure (DC) in Drosophila. Integrin-containing adhesive structures resembling focal adhesions were identified on the basal surface of the amnioserosa, an extraembryonic epithelium essential for DC. [Dev Cell] Abstract | Graphical Abstract Investigators examined the angiomodulatory role of tenascin-C. They found that direct contact of endothelial cells with tenascin-C disrupts actin polymerization, resulting in cytoplasmic retention of the transcriptional coactivator YAP. Tenascin-C also downregulated YAP pro-angiogenic target genes, thus reduced endothelial cell survival, proliferation, and tubulogenesis. [Cell Rep] Full Article | Graphical Abstract Researchers have extensively studied the interaction of model cell lines with collagen I-based materials after crosslinking with different ratios of 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl-carbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC) in relation to the number of carboxylic acid residues on collagen. Divalent cation-dependent cell adhesion, via integrins α1β1, α2β1, α10β1 and α11β1, were sensitive to EDC crosslinking. [Acta Biomater] Abstract | Graphical Abstract Previously researchers showed that Neural-Wiskott Aldrich Syndrome Protein (N-WASP) is critical for cell-ECM adhesion in fibroblasts. To characterize the role of N-WASP in fibroblast for skin development, they generated a conditional knockout mouse model in which fibroblast N-WASP was ablated using the Cre recombinase driven by Fibroblast Specific Protein promoter. [Sci Rep] Full Article An acellular spinal cord scaffold (ASC) was encapsulated in a thermo-sensitive hydrogel to overcome these limitations. The ASC was firstly prepared from the spinal cord of healthy rats and characterized by scanning electronic microscopy and immunohistochemical staining. bFGF could specifically complex with the ASC scaffold via electrostatic or receptor-mediated interactions. [Sci Rep] Full Article Intact Telopeptides Enhance Interactions between Collagens Using optical tweezers to perform microrheology measurements, researchers explored the changes in viscoelasticity of solutions of collagen with and without intact telopeptides. Their experiments reveal that intact telopeptides contribute a significant frequency-dependent enhancement of the complex shear modulus. [Biophys J] Abstract Revealing Region-Specific Biofilm Viscoelastic Properties by Means of a Micro-Rheological Approach Scientists described single particle tracking microrheology combined with confocal laser scanning microscopy to resolve the biofilm structure in three dimensions and calculate the creep compliances locally. Samples were analyzed from Pseudomonas fluorescens biofilms that were cultivated over two timescales and alternate ionic conditions. [NPJ Biofilms Microbiomes] Full Article A Novel Role for SALL4 During Scar-Free Wound Healing in Axolotl The authors identified a novel role for SALL4 in regulating collagen transcription after injury that is essential for perfect skin regeneration in axolotl. Furthermore, they identified miR-219 as a molecular regulator of Sall4 during wound healing. [NPJ Regenerative Medicine] Full Article | |
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REVIEWSExtracellular Matrix Hydrogels from Decellularized Tissues: Structure and Function The authors describe the utility, formation, and physical and biological characterization of extracellular matrix (ECM) hydrogels. Two examples of clinical application are presented to demonstrate in vivo utility of ECM hydrogels in different organ systems. Finally, new research directions and clinical translation of ECM hydrogels are discussed. [Acta Biomater] Abstract From Transformation to Metastasis: Deconstructing the Extracellular Matrix in Breast Cancer The authors address the contribution of extracellular matrix (ECM) mechanics to breast cancer progression, metastasis, and treatment resistance and discuss potential therapeutic strategies targeting the ECM. [Cancer Metastasis Rev] Abstract Visit our reviews page to see a complete list of reviews in the extracellular matrix research field. | |
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INDUSTRY NEWSBiostage Receives FDA Orphan Drug Designation for Cellspanâ„¢ Esophageal Implant Biostage, Inc. announced that its Cellspanâ„¢ Esophageal Implant was granted Orphan Drug Designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to restore the structure and function of the esophagus subsequent to esophageal damage due to cancer, injury or congenital abnormalities. [Biostage, Inc.] Press Release $2 Million Grant Awarded to UAB to Continue Eye Care Research The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) has been awarded a $2.94 million National Eye Institute Center Core Grant to support and enhance the 15 eligible R01 grants in the UAB School of Optometry and Department of Ophthalmology. [University of Alabama at Birmingham] Press Release Valeant Pharmaceuticals Announces Phase III Results For Psoriasis Treatment IDP-118 Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc. announced positive results from a Phase III, multicenter double-blind, randomized, vehicle-controlled clinical study to assess the safety and efficacy of IDP-118 (halobetasol propionate and tazarotene) lotion in the treatment of plaque psoriasis. [Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc.] Press Release | |
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POLICY NEWSSenate Sends Massive Biomedical Innovation Bill to Obama for Signing By a 94-to-five vote, the Senate approved the 21st Century Cures Act, clearing the way for President Barack Obama to sign the measure into law. The massive bill dedicates $4.8 billion over the next decade to research initiatives at the National Institutes of Health and makes an array of changes at the Food and Drug Administration designed to speed the approval of new drugs and medical devices. [ScienceInsider] Editorial Stopgap Spending Bill Leaves US Scientists in Limbo In what has become a year-end tradition in Washington DC, the US Congress is getting ready to approve a stopgap spending measure before it adjourns for the holidays. Many researchers are more worried about what might come after this temporary funding extension, if it is approved. When president-elect Donald Trump takes office, Republicans will control the White House and both houses of Congress — and their science priorities are very different from those of outgoing President Barack Obama, a Democrat. [Nature News] Editorial Mexico Proposal to Ban Human-Embryo Research Would Stifle Science Researchers are waiting to see whether Mexico’s legislature will approve an amendment to the national health law that would ban experiments with human embryos. The amendment is intended to regulate assisted reproduction, including the payment of surrogate mothers, donations to egg and sperm banks and the fertilization of more than three eggs at a time. But it would also ban the creation of human embryos for any purpose except reproduction and any research with existing human embryos. [Nature News] Editorial CRISPR Heavyweights Battle in US Patent Court Berkeley and its rival, the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard in Cambridge, Massachusetts, are each vying for the intellectual property underlying CRISPR–Cas9, which is adapted from a system that bacteria use to fend off viruses. During the hearing the US Patent and Trademark Office judges challenged Berkeley’s central claim: that once its researchers demonstrated that CRISPR–Cas9 could be used to edit DNA in bacteria, any reasonably skilled person could have adapted the technique for use in more complex cells. [Nature News] Editorial Help Wanted: Canada Begins Search for Chief Science Adviser Canada has officially launched its search for a chief government science adviser, fulfilling a campaign promise by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Science Minister Kirsty Duncan announced the move on 5 December, after spending the past year consulting scientists about the exact role that such an adviser should have. [Nature News] Editorial Congress Is Poised to Back NSF’s Approach to Research Congress has reached a truce—and possibly a lasting settlement—in the fiercely partisan three-year war between Republican leaders in the House of Representatives and the scientific community over how the National Science Foundation (NSF) should operate. The terms of the agreement, between House and Senate negotiators, may seem like minor changes. But the compromise, which the Senate could adopt as early as this week, resolves differences over how NSF should conduct peer review and manage research in ways that the agency thinks it can live with. [ScienceInsider] Editorial
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Home Extracellular Matrix News Volume 7.48 | Dec 8 2016