How Organ-on-a-Chip Technology Can Assist in Studying the Role of the Glymphatic System in Neurodegenerative Diseases.

The lack of a conventional lymphatic system that permeates throughout the entire human brain has encouraged the identification and study of alternative clearance routes within the cerebrum. In 2012, the concept of the glymphatic system, a perivascular network that fluidically connects the cerebrospinal fluid to the lymphatic vessels within the meninges via the interstitium, emerged. Although its exact mode of action has not yet been fully characterized, the key underlying processes that govern solute transport and waste clearance have been identified. This review briefly describes the perivascular glial-dependent clearance system and elucidates its fundamental role in neurodegenerative diseases. The current knowledge of the glymphatic system is based almost exclusively on animal-based measurements, but these face certain limitations inherent to in vivo experiments. Recent advances in organ-on-a-chip technology are discussed to demonstrate the technology's ability to provide alternative human-based in vitro research models. Herein, the specific focus is on how current microfluidic-based in vitro models of the neurovascular system and neurodegenerative diseases might be employed to (i) gain a deeper understanding of the role and function of the glymphatic system and (ii) to identify new opportunities for pharmacological intervention.

Surface tethering of stromal cell-derived factor-1α carriers to stem cells enhances cell homing to ischemic muscle.

Mesenchymal stem cells are promising medicine for treating diseases and tissue defects because of their innate ability to secrete therapeutic factors. Intravenous delivery of stem cells, although favored for its minimal invasiveness, is often plagued by low cellular engraftment in the target tissue. To this end, this study hypothesizes that in situ activation of cellular expression of CXC chemokine 4 (CXCR4) would significantly improve cellular migration to injured tissue. This hypothesis was examined by tethering the surface of stem cells with poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide)-block-hyaluronic acid (HA) particles containing stromal cell-derived factor-1α, a model chemokine to sensitize CXCR4. The HA blocks in the particles enhanced the association rate constant to stem cells by 3.3-fold, and in turn, increased the number of cells expressing CXCR4 receptors. Consequently, these cells displayed 1.2-fold higher transendothelial migration in vitro and 1.7-fold greater trafficking to the ischemic hindlimb of a mouse than that of the untethered cells.

Stimulus-Responsive Anti-Oxidizing Drug Crystals and their Ecological Implication.

Various antioxidants are being used to neutralize the harmful effects of reactive oxygen species (ROS) overproduced in diseased tissues and contaminated environments. Polymer-directed crystallization of antioxidants has attracted attention as a way to control drug efficacy through molecular dissolution. However, most recrystallized antioxidants undertake continuous dissolution independent of the ROS level, thus causing side-effects. This study demonstrates a unique method to assemble antioxidant crystals that modulate their dissolution rate in response to the ROS level. We hypothesized that antioxidants recrystallized using a ROS-labile polymer would be triggered to dissolve when the ROS level increases. We examined this hypothesis by using catechin as a model antioxidant. Catechin was recrystallized using polyethylenimine cross-linked with ROS-labile diselanediylbis-(ethane-2,1-diyl)-diacrylate. Catechin crystallized with the ROS-labile polymer displays accelerated dissolution proportional to the H2 O2 concentration. The ROS-responsive catechin crystals protect vascular cells from oxidative insults by activating intracellular glutathione peroxidase expression and, in turn, inhibiting an increase in the intracellular oxidative stress. In addition, ROS-responsive catechin crystals alleviate changes in the heart rate of Daphnia magna in oxidative media. We propose that the results of this study would be broadly useful for improving the therapeutic efficacy of a broad array of drug compounds.

Spatial Organization of Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles in/on Nano/Microsized Carriers Modulates the Magnetic Resonance Signal.

Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) are often encapsulated into drug-carrying nano/microsized particles for simultaneous magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and treatment of diseased tissues. Unfortunately, encapsulated SPIONs may have a limited ability to modulate the T2-weighted relaxation of water protons, but this insight has not been examined systematically. This study demonstrates that SPIONs immobilized on 200 nm diameter poly(lactic- co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles using Pickering emulsification present 18-fold higher relaxivity than encapsulated SPIONs and 1.5-fold higher relaxivity than free SPIONs. In contrast, the SPIONs immobilized on 10 µm diameter PLGA particles exhibit a minor increase in MR relaxivity. This interesting finding will significantly impact current efforts to synthesize and assemble advanced MR contrast agents.

Alginate Sulfates Mitigate Binding Kinetics of Proangiogenic Growth Factors with Receptors toward Revascularization.

Ever since proangiogenic growth factors have been used as a vascular medicine to treat tissue ischemia, efforts have been increasingly made to develop a method to enhance efficacy of growth factors in recreating microvascular networks, especially at low dose. To this end, we hypothesized that polysaccharides substituted with sulfate groups would amplify growth factor receptor activation and stimulate phenotypic activities of endothelial cells involved in neovascularization. We examined this hypothesis by modifying alginate with a controlled number of sulfates and using it to derive a complex with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), as confirmed with fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) assay. Compared with the bare VEGF and with a mixture of VEGF and unmodified alginates, the VEGF complexed with alginate sulfates significantly reduced the dissociation rate with the VEGFR-2, elevated VEGFR-2 phosphorylation level, and increased the number of endothelial sprouts in vitro. Furthermore, the VEGF-alginate sulfate complex improved recovery of perfusion in an ischemic hindlimb of a mouse due to the increase of the capillary density. Overall, this study not only demonstrates an important cofactor of VEGF but also uncovers an underlying mechanism by which the cofactor mitigates the VEGF-induced signaling involved in the binding kinetics and activation of VEGFR. We therefore believe that the results of this study will be highly useful in improving the therapeutic efficacy of various growth factors and expediting their uses in clinical treatments of wounds and tissue defects.

Aberrant DNA methylation of integrin α4 in human breast cancer.

Integrins are cell surface receptors that mediate cell-cell/extracellular interactions and have shown an association with metastasis or transformation in several cancers. However, the correlation between the clinicopathological status of breast cancer and the altered integrin α4 status is not clear. In this study, we investigated DNA methylation of integrin α4 in breast cancer. We retrieved 351 cases of surgically resected breast cancer (290 invasive carcinoma and 61 intraductal carcinoma). Methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction was performed to determine integrin α4 methylation status. Integrin α4 methylation was frequently observed in breast cancer specimens (145/351 cases, 41.3 %). In addition, DNA methylation of integrin α4 showed statistical correlation with HER2 positivity and higher histologic grade (p = 0.001, 0.008 in ductal carcinoma in situ and 0.003 in invasive ductal carcinoma). However, other clinicopathological data such as estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, metastasis, and TNM status showed no statistical correlation. Moreover, we found that the downregulated expression of integrin α4 in a heavily methylated breast cancer cell line (ZR-75) was restored by treatment with 5-aza-2'deoxycytidine, a DNA methyltransferase inhibitor, implying transcriptional silencing by DNA methylation. We observed that integrin α4 methylation is associated with the histologic grade of tumors and lymph node metastasis. Also, this data supports a previous study that suggested integrin α4 and HER2 are involved in the same signaling pathway. DNA methylation of integrin α4 may be a poor prognostic factor which affects undifferentiated histologic change of breast cancer.

Cohypermethylation of p14 in combination with CADM1 or DCC as a recurrence-related prognostic indicator in stage I esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to discover molecular biomarkers associated with the recurrence of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). METHODS: The authors retrospectively analyzed the hypermethylation status of 11 genes using methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and the expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), O-6 methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT), tumor protein 53 (p53), and transforming growth factor ß (TGFß) using immunohistochemistry in 329 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded ESCCs. RESULTS: Recurrence was identified in 151 of 329 ESCCs (46%) at a median follow-up of 4.5 years. The recurrence was associated with hypermethylation of the genes cell adhesion molecule 1 (CADM1) (P = .003), deleted in colon carcinoma (DCC) (P = .04), or cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2A (p14) (P = .02) in patients with stage I ESCC. Thirty-six of 37 Stage I ESCCs (97%) that had cohypermethylation of at least 2 of the 3 genes had hypermethylation of p14 plus either CADM1 or DCC or both CADM1 and DCC. The 5-year recurrence-free survival (RFS) rates were 93% in patients who had stage I disease without hypermethylation of the 3 genes and 56% in those who had cohypermethylation of p14 in combination with CADM1 and/or DCC. Patients who had stage I ESCC with cohypermethylation of p14 in combination with DCC and/or CADM1 had 7.13 times (95% confidence interval, 1.61-31.64 times; P = .009) poorer RFS compared with those who had no hypermethylation of the 3 genes after adjusting confounding factors. Hypermethylation of the other 8 genes and altered expression of 4 proteins were not associated with recurrence across pathologic stages. CONCLUSIONS: The current results suggested that cohypermethylation of p14 in combination with DCC and/or CADM1 may be an independent prognostic factor for recurrence in patients with stage I ESCC.

Synergistic effect of Bcl-2 and cyclin A2 on adverse recurrence-free survival in stage I non-small cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: The prognostic significance of cyclin A2 overexpression in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is controversial. METHODS: To understand the effect of cyclin A2 on recurrence in NSCLC, we retrospectively analyzed the expression of Bcl-2, cyclin A2, E-cadherin, Ki-67, and p53 using immunohistochemistry in 635 NSCLCs. RESULTS: Overexpression of cyclin A2 was found in 466 (73%) of 635 NSCLCs, and recurrence occurred in 291 (46%) of 635 NSCLCs with a median follow-up of 5.4 years. The relationship between recurrence and cyclin A2 overexpression was not homogenous by pathologic stage (Breslow-Day test for homogeneity, P = 0.007). Overexpression of cyclin A2 was associated with poor recurrence-free survival (RFS) in 374 stage I NSCLCs (P = 0.02), and RFS was worse in patient with negative expression of Bcl-2 than those with positive expression of Bcl-2. Cox proportional hazard analysis showed that stage I NSCLC patients with overexpression of cyclin A2 and negative expression of Bcl-2 had poorer RFS (hazard ratio = 3.86, 95% confidence interval = 1.07-15.77; P = 0.03) than those with normal expression of cyclin A2 and Bcl-2, after adjusting for age, adjuvant radiotherapy, and histology. Neural network and generalized linear model including cyclin A2 and Bcl-2 showed best performance in the prediction of recurrence; error rates for neural network and generalized linear model were 15% and 12%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Negative effect of cyclin A2 on RFS in stage I NSCLC was aggravated by negative expression of Bcl-2.

Polydopamine-assisted osteoinductive peptide immobilization of polymer scaffolds for enhanced bone regeneration by human adipose-derived stem cells.

Immobilization of osteoinductive molecules, including growth factors or peptides, on polymer scaffolds is critical for improving stem cell-mediated bone tissue engineering. Such molecules provide osteogenesis-stimulating signals for stem cells. Typical methods used for polymeric scaffold modification (e.g., chemical conjugation or physical adsorption), however, have limitations (e.g., multistep, complicated procedures, material denaturation, batch-to-batch inconsistency, and inadequate conjugation) that diminish the overall efficiency of the process. Therefore, in this study, we report a biologically inspired strategy to prepare functional polymer scaffolds that efficiently regulate the osteogenic differentiation of human adipose-derived stem cells (hADSCs). Polymerization of dopamine (DA), a repeated motif observed in mussel adhesive protein, under alkaline pH conditions, allows for coating of a polydopamine (pDA) layer onto polymer scaffolds. Our study demonstrates that predeposition of a pDA layer facilitates highly efficient, simple immobilization of peptides derived from osteogenic growth factor (bone morphogenetic protein-2; BMP-2) on poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) scaffolds via catechol chemistry. The BMP-2 peptide-immobilized PLGA scaffolds greatly enhanced in vitro osteogenic differentiation and calcium mineralization of hADSCs using either osteogenic medium or nonosteogenic medium. Furthermore, transplantation of hADSCs using pDA-BMP-2-PLGA scaffolds significantly promoted in vivo bone formation in critical-sized calvarial bone defects. Therefore, pDA-mediated catechol functionalization would be a simple and effective method for developing tissue engineering scaffolds exhibiting enhanced osteoinductivity. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study demonstrating that pDA-mediated surface modification of polymer scaffolds potentiates the regenerative capacity of human stem cells for healing tissue defect in vivo.

Accelerating the in vitro emulation of Alzheimer's disease-associated phenotypes using a novel 3D blood-brain barrier neurosphere co-culture model.

High failure rates in clinical trials for neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease have been linked to an insufficient predictive validity of current animal-based disease models. This has created an increasing demand for alternative, human-based models capable of emulating key pathological phenotypes in vitro. Here, a three-dimensional Alzheimer's disease model was developed using a compartmentalized microfluidic device that combines a self-assembled microvascular network of the human blood-brain barrier with neurospheres derived from Alzheimer's disease-specific neural progenitor cells. To shorten microfluidic co-culture times, neurospheres were pre-differentiated for 21 days to express Alzheimer's disease-specific pathological phenotypes prior to the introduction into the microfluidic device. In agreement with post-mortem studies and Alzheimer's disease in vivo models, after 7 days of co-culture with pre-differentiated Alzheimer's disease-specific neurospheres, the three-dimensional blood-brain barrier network exhibited significant changes in barrier permeability and morphology. Furthermore, vascular networks in co-culture with Alzheimer's disease-specific microtissues displayed localized ß-amyloid deposition. Thus, by interconnecting a microvascular network of the blood-brain barrier with pre-differentiated neurospheres the presented model holds immense potential for replicating key neurovascular phenotypes of neurodegenerative disorders in vitro.

Extracellular Microenvironmental Control for Organoid Assembly.

Organoids, which are multicellular clusters with similar physiological functions to living organs, have gained increasing attention in bioengineering. As organoids become more advanced, methods to form complex structures continue to develop. There is evidence that the extracellular microenvironment can regulate organoid quality. The extracellular microenvironment consists of soluble bioactive molecules, extracellular matrix, and biofluid flow. However, few efforts have been made to discuss the microenvironment optimal to engineer specific organoids. Therefore, this review article examines the extent to which engineered extracellular microenvironments regulate organoid quality. First, we summarize the natural tissue and organ's unique chemical and mechanical properties, guiding researchers to design an extracellular microenvironment used for organoid engineering. Then, we summarize how the microenvironments contribute to the formation and growth of the brain, lung, intestine, liver, retinal, and kidney organoids. The approaches to forming and evaluating the resulting organoids are also discussed in detail. Impact statement Organoids, which are multicellular clusters with similar physiological function to living organs, have been gaining increasing attention in bioengineering. As organoids become more advanced, methods to form complex structures continue to develop. This review article focuses on recent efforts to engineer the extracellular microenvironment in organoid research. We summarized the natural organ's microenvironment, which informs researchers of key factors that can influence organoid formation. Then, we summarize how these microenvironmental controls significantly contribute to the formation and growth of the corresponding brain, lung, intestine, liver, retinal, and kidney organoids. The approaches to forming and evaluating the resulting organoids are discussed in detail, including extracellular matrix choice and properties, culture methods, and the evaluation of the morphology and functionality through imaging and biochemical analysis.

Empowering engineered muscle in biohybrid pump by extending connexin 43 duration with reduced graphene oxides.

Engineered skeletal muscle act as therapeutics invaluable to treat injured or diseased muscle and a "living" material essential to assemble biological machinery. For normal development, skeletal myoblasts should express connexin 43, one of the gap junction proteins that promote myoblast fusion and myogenesis, during the early differentiation stage. However, myoblasts cultured in vitro often down-regulate connexin 43 before differentiation, limiting myogenesis and muscle contraction. This study demonstrates that tethering myoblasts with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) slows connexin 43 regression during early differentiation and increases myogenic mRNA synthesis. The whole RNA sequencing also confirms that the rGO on cells increases regulator genes for myogenesis, including troponin, while decreasing negative regulator genes. The resulting myotubes generated a three-fold larger contraction force than the rGO-free myotubes. Accordingly, a valveless biohybrid pump assembled with the rGO-tethered muscle increased the fluid velocity and flow rate considerably. The results of this study would provide an important foundation for developing physiologically relevant muscle and powering up biomachines that will be used for various bioscience studies and unexplored applications.

A functional single nucleotide polymorphism at the promoter region of cyclin A2 is associated with increased risk of colon, liver, and lung cancers.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this was to identify functional single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) and cyclins that are associated with risk of human cancer. METHODS: First, 45 SNPs in CDKs and cyclins were analyzed in 106 lung cancers and 108 controls for a pilot study. One SNP (reference SNP [rs] 769236, +1 guanine to adenine [G→A]) at the promoter region of cyclin A2 (CCNA2) also was analyzed in 1989 cancers (300 breast cancers, 450 colorectal cancers, 450 gastric cancers, 367 hepatocellular carcinomas, and 422 lung cancers) and in 1096 controls. Genotyping was performed using matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization/time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Transcriptional activity of the SNP according to the cell cycle was analyzed by using a luciferase reporter assay and fluorescence-activated cell sorting analysis in NIH3T3 cells. RESULTS: In the pilot study, the SNP (rs769236) was associated significantly with the risk of lung cancer. In the expanded study, multivariate logistic regression indicated that the AA homozygous variant of the SNP was associated significantly with the development of lung cancer (P < .0001; codominant model), colorectal cancer (P < .0001), and hepatocellular carcinoma (P = .02) but not with breast cancer or gastric cancer. The luciferase activity of a 300-base pair construct that contained the A allele was 1.5-fold greater than the activity of a construct with the G allele in NIH3T3 cells. The high luciferase activity of constructs that contained the A allele did not change with cell cycle progression. CONCLUSIONS: The current results suggested that an SNP (rs769236) at the promoter of CCNA2 may be associated significantly with increased risk of colon, liver, and lung cancers.

A robust vasculogenic microfluidic model using human immortalized endothelial cells and Thy1 positive fibroblasts.

Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and stromal cells, such as human lung fibroblasts (FBs), have been widely used to generate functional microvascular networks (µVNs) in vitro. However, primary cells derived from different donors have batch-to-batch variations and limited lifespans when cultured in vitro, which hampers the reproducibility of µVN formation. Here, we immortalize HUVECs and FBs by exogenously expressing human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) to obtain stable endothelial cell and FB sources for µVN formation in vitro. Interestingly, we find that immortalized HUVECs can only form functional µVNs with immortalized FBs from earlier passages but not from later passages. Mechanistically, we show that Thy1 expression decreases in FBs from later passages. Compared to Thy1 negative FBs, Thy1 positive FBs express higher IGFBP2, IGFBP7, and SPARC, which are important for angiogenesis and lumen formation during vasculogenesis in 3D. Moreover, Thy1 negative FBs physically block microvessel openings, reducing the perfusability of µVNs. Finally, by culturing immortalized FBs on gelatin-coated surfaces in serum-free medium, we are able to maintain the majority of Thy1 positive immortalized FBs to support perfusable µVN formation. Overall, we establish stable cell sources for µVN formation and characterize the functions of Thy1 positive and negative FBs in vasculogenesis in vitro.

Cystatin M loss is associated with the losses of estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and HER4 in invasive breast cancer.

INTRODUCTION: This study was aimed at understanding the clinicopathological significance of cystatin M loss, and investigating possible factors responsible for cystatin M loss in breast cancer. METHODS: The expression of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), HER2, HER4, and cystatin M was retrospectively analyzed using immunohistochemistry in 117 patients with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and in 175 patients with invasive breast cancer (IBC). The methylation status of CST6 gene encoding cystatin M was evaluated using methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues from 292 participants and using pyrosequencing in fresh-frozen tumor and matched normal tissues from 51 IBC patients. RESULTS: Cystatin M loss was found in 9 (8%) of 117 patients with DCIS and in 99 (57%) of 175 with invasive breast cancer (IBC) (P < 0.0001). Cystatin M loss was found in 58 (57%) of 101 HER2-negative IBCs and in 41 (55%) of 74 HER2-positive IBCs, and this difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.97). However, cystatin M loss was significantly associated with the loss of ER (P = 0.01), PR (P = 0.002), and HER4 (P = 0.003) in IBCs. Cystatin M loss occurred in 34 (76%) of the 45 HER4-negative IBCs and in 65 (50%) of the 130 HER4-positive IBCs. Multivariate analysis showed that cystatin M loss occurred at a 3.57 times (95% CI = 1.28 to 9.98; P = 0.01) higher prevalence in the triple-negative IBCs of ER, PR, and HER4 than in other subtypes, after adjusting for age. The quantity of CST6 methylation was associated with ER loss (P = 0.0002) in IBCs but not with the loss of PR (P = 0.64) or HER4 (P = 0.87). CONCLUSIONS: The present study suggests that cystatin M loss may be associated with the losses of ER, PR, and HER4 in IBC.

Surface Tethering of Inflammation-Modulatory Nanostimulators to Stem Cells for Ischemic Muscle Repair.

Stem cell transplantation has been a promising treatment for peripheral arterial diseases in the past decade. Stem cells act as living bioreactors of paracrine factors that orchestrate tissue regeneration. Prestimulated adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) have been proposed as potential candidates but have been met with challenges in activating their secretory activities for clinical use. Here, we propose that tethering the ADSC surface with nanoparticles releasing tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), named nanostimulator, would stimulate cellular secretory activity in situ. We examined this hypothesis by complexing octadecylamine-grafted hyaluronic acid onto a liposomal carrier of TNFα. Hyaluronic acid increased the liposomal stability and association to CD44 on ADSC surface. ADSCs tethered with these TNFα carriers exhibited up-regulated secretion of proangiogenic vascular endothelial growth factor and immunomodulatory prosteoglandin E2 (PGE2) while decreasing secretion of antiangiogenic pigment epithelium-derived factors. Accordingly, ADSCs tethered with nanostimulators promoted vascularization in a 3D microvascular chip and enhanced recovery of perfusion, walking, and muscle mass in a murine ischemic hindlimb compared to untreated ADSCs. We propose that this surface tethering strategy for in situ stimulation of stem cells would replace the costly and cumbersome preconditioning process and expedite clinical use of stem cells for improved treatments of various injuries and diseases.

Surface tethering of stem cells with H2O2-responsive anti-oxidizing colloidal particles for protection against oxidation-induced death.

Mesenchymal stem cells are the new generation of medicine for treating numerous vascular diseases and tissue defects because of their ability to secrete therapeutic factors. Poor cellular survival in an oxidative diseased tissue, however, hinders the therapeutic efficacy. To this end, we hypothesized that tethering the surface of stem cells with colloidal particles capable of discharging antioxidant cargos in response to elevated levels of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) would maintain survival and therapeutic activity of the stem cells. We examined this hypothesis by encapsulating epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and manganese oxide (MnO2) nanocatalysts into particles comprising poly(d,l-lactide-co-glycolide)-block-hyaluronic acid. The MnO2 nanocatalysts catalyzed the decomposition of H2O2 into oxygen gas, which increased the internal pressure of particles and accelerated the release of EGCG by 1.5-fold. Consequently, stem cells exhibited 1.2-fold higher metabolic activity and 2.8-fold higher secretion level of pro-angiogenic factor in sub-lethal H2O2 concentrations. These stem cells, in turn, performed a greater angiogenic potential with doubled number of newly formed mature blood vessels. We envisage that the results of this study will contribute to improving the therapeutic efficacy of a wide array of stem cells.

Matrix Topography Regulates Synaptic Transmission at the Neuromuscular Junction.

Recreation of a muscle that can be controlled by the nervous system would provide a major breakthrough for treatments of injury and diseases. However, the underlying basis of how neuron-muscle interfaces are formed is still not understood sufficiently. Here, it is hypothesized that substrate topography regulates neural innervation and synaptic transmission by mediating the cross-talk between neurons and muscles. This hypothesis is examined by differentiating neural stem cells on the myotubes, formed on the substrate with controlled groove width. The substrate with the groove width of 1600 nm, a similar size to the myofibril diameter, serves to produce larger and aligned myotubes than the flat substrate. The myotubes formed on the grooved substrate display increases in the acetylcholine receptor expression. Reciprocally, motor neuron progenitor cells differentiated from neural stem cells innervate the larger and aligned myotubes more actively than randomly oriented myotubes. As a consequence, mature and aligned myotubes respond to glutamate (i.e., an excitatory neurotransmitter) and curare (i.e., a neuromuscular antagonist) more rapidly and homogeneously than randomly oriented myotubes. The results of this study will be broadly useful for improving the quality of engineered muscle used in a series of applications including drug screening, regeneration therapies, and biological machinery assembly.

Long-Term Cryopreservation and Revival of Tissue-Engineered Skeletal Muscle.

IMPACT STATEMENT: The ability to freeze, revive, and prolong the lifetime of tissue-engineered skeletal muscle without incurring any loss of function represents a significant advancement in the field of tissue engineering. Cryopreservation enables the efficient fabrication, storage, and shipment of these tissues. This in turn facilitates multidisciplinary collaboration between research groups, enabling advances in skeletal muscle regenerative medicine, organ-on-a-chip models of disease, drug testing, and soft robotics. Furthermore, the observation that freezing undifferentiated skeletal muscle enhances functional performance may motivate future studies developing stronger and more clinically relevant engineered muscle.

Promoter hypermethylation of the p16 gene is associated with poor prognosis in recurrent early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma.

Despite significant advances in the detection and treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma, the prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma remains very poor, in part due to the high incidence of recurrence. This study was aimed at identifying a prognostic indicator of recurrence in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. We retrospectively analyzed CpG island hypermethylation of the p14, p15, p16, GSTP1, integrin alpha4, SYK, and CDH1 genes in fresh-frozen tissues from 265 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma using the methylation-specific PCR. The expression levels of p16 and p53 were evaluated by immunohistochemistry. CpG island hypermethylation was detected in 6% for p14, 21% for p15, 67% for p16, 75% for GSTP1, 23% for integrin alpha4, 12% for SYK, and 57% for CDH1. Recurrence was observed in 102 (38%) of the 265 patients. There was no association between the risk for recurrence and hypermethylation of any gene studied. However, p16 methylation was associated with a poor survival after surgery for recurrent stage I to II hepatocellular carcinomas (hazard ratio, 4.05; 95% confidence interval, 1.15-14.20; P = 0.03). In addition, the hazard of failure after recurrence was about 3.80 (95% confidence interval, 1.03-14.20; P = 0.04) times higher in patients with p16 methylation than in those without. Negative expression of p16 at a protein level was also associated with poor survival in recurrent stage I to II hepatocellular carcinomas, but p53 expression did not have a synergistic effect on the poor prognosis. In conclusion, the present study suggests that p16 methylation may be associated with a poor prognosis in recurrent early-stage hepatocellular carcinomas.