BMP signaling regulates the fate of chondro-osteoprogenitor cells in facial mesenchyme in a stage-specific manner.

BACKGROUND: Lineage tracing has shown that most of the facial skeleton is derived from cranial neural crest cells. However, the local signals that influence postmigratory, neural crest-derived mesenchyme also play a major role in patterning the skeleton. Here, we study the role of BMP signaling in regulating the fate of chondro-osteoprogenitor cells in the face. RESULTS: A single Noggin-soaked bead inserted into stage 15 chicken embryos induced an ectopic cartilage resembling the interorbital septum within the palate and other midline structures. In contrast, the same treatment in stage 20 embryos caused a loss of bones. The molecular basis for the stage-specific response to Noggin lay in the simultaneous up-regulation of SOX9 and downregulation of RUNX2 in the maxillary mesenchyme, increased cell adhesiveness as shown by N-cadherin induction around the beads and increased RA pathway gene expression. None of these changes were observed in stage 20 embryos. CONCLUSIONS: These experiments demonstrate how slight changes in expression of growth factors such as BMPs could lead to gain or loss of cartilage in the upper jaw during vertebrate evolution. In addition, BMPs have at least two roles: one in patterning the skull and another in regulating the skeletogenic fates of neural crest-derived mesenchyme. Developmental Dynamics 245:947-962, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Near-infrared fluorescent 9-phenylethynylpyronin analogues for bioimaging.

The syntheses and biological applications of two novel fluorescent 9-phenylethynylpyronin analogues containing either carbon or silicon at the position 10 are reported. Both fluorescent probes exhibited a relatively strong fluorescence in methanol and phosphate buffer saline in the near-infrared region (705-738 nm) upon irradiation of either of their absorption maxima in the blue and red regions. The compounds showed high selectivity toward mitochondria in myeloma cells in vivo and allowed their visualization in a favored tissue-transparent window, which makes them promising NIR fluorescent tags for applications in bioimaging.

Long-Range Magnetic Order in Nickel Hydroxide-Functionalized Graphene Quantum Dots.

In this work, we demonstrate the prospect of chemically synthesizing transition metal (Ni) doped magnetic graphene quantum dots (GQDs) with the sole aim of shedding light on their magnetic properties. Our results show that adsorption of nickel hydroxide on predominantly paramagnetic GQDs reveals antiferromagnetic ordering in the M-T profile around 10 K with change of the spin exchange coupling deviating from J = 1/2 to J = 1, mainly arising from the d-p mixing hybridization between the p orbital of carbon from the GQD and the d orbital of Ni. Furthermore, our results are well complemented by ab initio simulations showing asymmetry of the up and down spins around the Fermi level for nickel hydroxide-doped GQDs with long-range spin polarization. Furthermore, the magnitude of the net magnetic moment generated for doped GQDs on the carbon atoms is found to be site-dependent (surface or edge).

Proteomic analyses of signalling complexes associated with receptor tyrosine kinase identify novel members of fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 interactome.

Receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) form multiprotein complexes that initiate and propagate intracellular signals and determine the RTK-specific signalling patterns. Unravelling the full complexity of protein interactions within the RTK-associated complexes is essential for understanding of RTK functions, yet it remains an understudied area of cell biology. We describe a comprehensive approach to characterize RTK interactome. A single tag immunoprecipitation and phosphotyrosine protein isolation followed by mass-spectrometry was used to identify proteins interacting with fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3). A total of 32 experiments were carried out in two different cell types and identified 66 proteins out of which only 20 (30.3%) proteins were already known FGFR interactors. Using co-immunoprecipitations, we validated FGFR3 interaction with adapter protein STAM1, transcriptional regulator SHOX2, translation elongation factor eEF1A1, serine/threonine kinases ICK, MAK and CCRK, and inositol phosphatase SHIP2. We show that unappreciated signalling mediators exist for well-studied RTKs, such as FGFR3, and may be identified via proteomic approaches described here. These approaches are easily adaptable to other RTKs, enabling identification of novel signalling mediators for majority of the known human RTKs.

Comparative cell cycle transcriptomics reveals synchronization of developmental transcription factor networks in cancer cells.

The cell cycle coordinates core functions such as replication and cell division. However, cell-cycle-regulated transcription in the control of non-core functions, such as cell identity maintenance through specific transcription factors (TFs) and signalling pathways remains unclear. Here, we provide a resource consisting of mapped transcriptomes in unsynchronized HeLa and U2OS cancer cells sorted for cell cycle phase by Fucci reporter expression. We developed a novel algorithm for data analysis that enables efficient visualization and data comparisons and identified cell cycle synchronization of Notch signalling and TFs associated with development. Furthermore, the cell cycle synchronizes with the circadian clock, providing a possible link between developmental transcriptional networks and the cell cycle. In conclusion we find that cell cycle synchronized transcriptional patterns are temporally compartmentalized and more complex than previously anticipated, involving genes, which control cell identity and development.

Cell proliferation on modified DLC thin films prepared by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition.

Recently, diamondlike carbon (DLC) thin films have gained interest for biological applications, such as hip and dental prostheses or heart valves and coronary stents, thanks to their high strength and stability. However, the biocompatibility of the DLC is still questionable due to its low wettability and possible mechanical failure (delamination). In this work, DLC:N:O and DLC: SiOx thin films were comparatively investigated with respect to cell proliferation. Thin DLC films with an addition of N, O, and Si were prepared by plasma enhanced CVD from mixtures of methane, hydrogen, and hexamethyldisiloxane. The films were optically characterized by infrared spectroscopy and ellipsometry in UV-visible spectrum. The thickness and the optical properties were obtained from the ellipsometric measurements. Atomic composition of the films was determined by Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy combined with elastic recoil detection analysis and by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The mechanical properties of the films were studied by depth sensing indentation technique. The number of cells that proliferate on the surface of the prepared DLC films and on control culture dishes were compared and correlated with the properties of as-deposited and aged films. The authors found that the level of cell proliferation on the coated dishes was high, comparable to the untreated (control) samples. The prepared DLC films were stable and no decrease of the biocompatibility was observed for the samples aged at ambient conditions.