scholarly journals Cell Mechanosensors and the Possibilities of Using Magnetic Nanoparticles to Study Them and to Modify Cell Fate

2017 ◽  
Vol 45 (10) ◽  
pp. 2475-2486 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yajing Shen ◽  
Yu Cheng ◽  
Taro Q. P. Uyeda ◽  
Gustavo R. Plaza
2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 1243-1253 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sukriti Kapoor ◽  
Sachin Kotak

Cellular asymmetries are vital for generating cell fate diversity during development and in stem cells. In the newly fertilized Caenorhabditis elegans embryo, centrosomes are responsible for polarity establishment, i.e. anterior–posterior body axis formation. The signal for polarity originates from the centrosomes and is transmitted to the cell cortex, where it disassembles the actomyosin network. This event leads to symmetry breaking and the establishment of distinct domains of evolutionarily conserved PAR proteins. However, the identity of an essential component that localizes to the centrosomes and promotes symmetry breaking was unknown. Recent work has uncovered that the loss of Aurora A kinase (AIR-1 in C. elegans and hereafter referred to as Aurora A) in the one-cell embryo disrupts stereotypical actomyosin-based cortical flows that occur at the time of polarity establishment. This misregulation of actomyosin flow dynamics results in the occurrence of two polarity axes. Notably, the role of Aurora A in ensuring a single polarity axis is independent of its well-established function in centrosome maturation. The mechanism by which Aurora A directs symmetry breaking is likely through direct regulation of Rho-dependent contractility. In this mini-review, we will discuss the unconventional role of Aurora A kinase in polarity establishment in C. elegans embryos and propose a refined model of centrosome-dependent symmetry breaking.


2020 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
pp. 223-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ben L. Carty ◽  
Elaine M. Dunleavy

Abstract Asymmetric cell division (ACD) produces daughter cells with separate distinct cell fates and is critical for the development and regulation of multicellular organisms. Epigenetic mechanisms are key players in cell fate determination. Centromeres, epigenetically specified loci defined by the presence of the histone H3-variant, centromere protein A (CENP-A), are essential for chromosome segregation at cell division. ACDs in stem cells and in oocyte meiosis have been proposed to be reliant on centromere integrity for the regulation of the non-random segregation of chromosomes. It has recently been shown that CENP-A is asymmetrically distributed between the centromeres of sister chromatids in male and female Drosophila germline stem cells (GSCs), with more CENP-A on sister chromatids to be segregated to the GSC. This imbalance in centromere strength correlates with the temporal and asymmetric assembly of the mitotic spindle and potentially orientates the cell to allow for biased sister chromatid retention in stem cells. In this essay, we discuss the recent evidence for asymmetric sister centromeres in stem cells. Thereafter, we discuss mechanistic avenues to establish this sister centromere asymmetry and how it ultimately might influence cell fate.


2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Seale ◽  
Wenshan Wang ◽  
Sona Rajakumari ◽  
Matthew Harms

2003 ◽  
Vol 773 ◽  
Author(s):  
James D. Kubicek ◽  
Stephanie Brelsford ◽  
Philip R. LeDuc

AbstractMechanical stimulation of single cells has been shown to affect cellular behavior from the molecular scale to ultimate cell fate including apoptosis and proliferation. In this, the ability to control the spatiotemporal application of force on cells through their extracellular matrix connections is critical to understand the cellular response of mechanotransduction. Here, we develop and utilize a novel pressure-driven equibiaxial cell stretching device (PECS) combined with an elastomeric material to control specifically the mechanical stimulation on single cells. Cells were cultured on silicone membranes coated with molecular matrices and then a uniform pressure was introduced to the opposite surface of the membrane to stretch single cells equibiaxially. This allowed us to apply mechanical deformation to investigate the complex nature of cell shape and structure. These results will enhance our knowledge of cellular and molecular function as well as provide insights into fields including biomechanics, tissue engineering, and drug discovery.


PIERS Online ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 231-234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tsung-Han Tsai ◽  
Long-Sheng Kuo ◽  
Ping-Hei Chen ◽  
Chin-Ting Yang

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bo Tian ◽  
Peter Svedlindh ◽  
Mattias Strömberg ◽  
Erik Wetterskog

In this work, we demonstrate for the first time, a ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) based homogeneous and volumetric biosensor for magnetic label detection. Two different isothermal amplification methods, <i>i.e.</i>, rolling circle amplification (RCA) and loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) are adopted and combined with a standard electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectrometer for FMR biosensing. For RCA-based FMR biosensor, binding of RCA products of a synthetic Vibrio cholerae target DNA sequence gives rise to the formation of aggregates of magnetic nanoparticles. Immobilization of nanoparticles within the aggregates leads to a decrease of the net anisotropy of the system and a concomitant increase of the resonance field. A limit of detection of 1 pM is obtained with an average coefficient of variation of 0.16%, which is superior to the performance of other reported RCA-based magnetic biosensors. For LAMP-based sensing, a synthetic Zika virus target oligonucleotide is amplified and detected in 20% serum samples. Immobilization of magnetic nanoparticles is induced by their co-precipitation with Mg<sub>2</sub>P<sub>2</sub>O<sub>7</sub> (a by-product of LAMP) and provides a detection sensitivity of 100 aM. The fast measurement, high sensitivity and miniaturization potential of the proposed FMR biosensing technology makes it a promising candidate for designing future point-of-care devices.<br>


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