Search results for "Acellular"

Thalamic Network Oscillations Synchronize Ontogenetic Columns in the Newborn Rat Barrel Cortex

2013

Neocortical areas are organized in columns, which form the basic structural and functional modules of intracortical information processing. Using voltage-sensitive dye imaging and simultaneous multi-channel extracellular recordings in the barrel cortex of newborn rats in vivo, we found that spontaneously occurring and whisker stimulation-induced gamma bursts followed by longer lasting spindle bursts were topographically organized in functional cortical columns already at the day of birth. Gamma bursts synchronized a cortical network of 300-400 µm in diameter and were coherent with gamma activity recorded simultaneously in the thalamic ventral posterior medial (VPM) nucleus. Cortical gamma b…

Computing the Cell

2015

Here I call for the need to revisit cell theory. The idea that the cell is the basic unit of life is well-known and foundational to Biology, but it has not received sufficient attention. We have increasingly detailed knowledge of the intracellular world and all its components, but these are often considered independently. On the other hand, there is excessive theorising about the cell on the basis of its being a black box. The time is ripe to formulate an integrative cell theory .

Material-driven fibronectin assembly rescues matrix defects due to mutations in collagen IV in fibroblasts

2020

Basement membranes (BMs) are specialised extracellular matrices that provide structural support to tissues as well as influence cell behaviour and signalling. Mutations in COL4A1/COL4A2, a major BM component, cause a familial form of eye, kidney and cerebrovascular disease, including stroke, while common variants in these genes are a risk factor for intracerebral haemorrhage in the general population. These phenotypes are associated with matrix defects, due to mutant protein incorporation in the BM and/or its absence by endoplasmic reticulum (ER) retention. However, the effects of these mutations on matrix stiffness, the contribution of the matrix to the disease mechanism(s) and its effects…

Different adhesins for type IV collagen on Candida albicans: identification of a lectin-like adhesin recognizing the 7S(IV) domain

2001

Adherence of the opportunistic pathogen Candida albicans to basement membrane (BM) proteins is considered a crucial step in the development of candidiasis. In this study the interactions of C. albicans yeast cells with the three main domains of type IV collagen, a major BM glycoprotein, were analysed. C. albicans adhered to the three immobilized domains by different mechanisms. Adhesion to the N-terminal cross-linking domain (7S) required the presence of divalent cations, whereas interaction with the central collagenous domain (CC) was cation-independent. Recognition of the C-terminal non-collagenous domain (NC1) was partially cation-dependent. Binding inhibition assays with the correspondi…

Collagen-induced differential expression of an RNA polymerase subunit by breast cancer cells

2005

It was previously reported that the stroma of ductal infiltrating carcinoma (DIC) of the human breast contains considerable amount of an embryo-foetal collagen type, OF/LB (onco-foetal/laminin-binding), and that adhesion of 8701-BC DIC cells onto OF/LB collagen substrates selectively promotes cell growth, motility, production of extracellular lytic enzymes and invasion "in vitro" if compared with other collagen species. To detect possible transcriptional differences for regulatory proteins following OF/LB collagen-cell interactions, we submitted RNA preparations from 8701-BC cells grown on collagen type I, IV and OF/LB to "differential display"-PCR in the presence of degenerate C(2)H(2) zin…

EXTRACELLULAR VESCICLES DERIVED FROM GUT MICROBIOTA IN INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE AND COLORECTAL CANCER

2021

The human gut microbiome encompasses inter alia, the myriad bacterial species that create the optimal host-micro-organism balance essential for normal metabolic and immune function. Various lines of evidence suggest that dys-regulation of the microbiota-host interaction is linked to pathologies such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and colorectal cancer (CRC). Extracellular vesicles (EVs), found in virtually all body fluids and produced by both eukaryotic cells and bacteria are involved in cell-cell communication and crosstalk mechanisms, such as the immune response, barrier function and intestinal flora. This review highlights advancements in knowledge of the functional role that EVs ma…

Unraveling the extracellular matrix-tumor cell interactions to aid better targeted therapies for neuroblastoma

2021

Treatment in children with high-risk neuroblastoma remains largely unsuccessful due to the development of metastases and drug resistance. The biological complexity of these tumors and their microenvironment represent one of the many challenges to face. Matrix glycoproteins such as vitronectin act as bridge elements between extracellular matrix and tumor cells and can promote tumor cell spreading. In this study, we established through a clinical cohort and preclinical models that the interaction of vitronectin and its ligands, such as αv integrins, are related to the stiffness of the extracellular matrix in high-risk neuroblastoma. These marked alterations found in the matrix led us to speci…

TopoCell – An image analysis tool to study intracellular topography

2012

Focal adhesions and assessment of cytotoxicity

1999

Focal adhesions are highly ordered assemblies of transmembrane receptors, extracellular matrix proteins, and a large number of cytoplasmic proteins, including structural proteins, as well as tyrosine kinases, phosphatases, and their substrates. They are now accepted as a prime component of signal transduction. Because focal adhesions also play an important role in cell morphology and migration, it can be argued that their presence is indicative of healthy cells. This has been the reason for several research groups to conclude that biomaterials sustaining focal adhesion assembly are biocompatible. In this study we demonstrate that cells under cytotoxic stress may still be able to retain thei…

Protofibril formation of amyloid beta-protein at low pH via a non-cooperative elongation mechanism.

2005

Deposition of the amyloid beta-protein (Abeta) in senile or diffuse plaques is a distinctive feature of Alzheimer's disease. The role of Abeta aggregates in the etiology of the disease is still controversial. The formation of linear aggregates, known as amyloid fibrils, has been proposed as the onset and the cause of pathological deposition. Yet, recent findings suggest that a more crucial role is played by prefibrillar oligomeric assemblies of Abeta that are highly toxic in the extracellular environment. In the present work, the mechanism of protofibril formation is studied at pH 3.1, starting from a solution of oligomeric precursors. By combining static light scattering and photon correla…