scholarly journals Thermofluidic heat exchangers for actuation of transcription in artificial tissues

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (40) ◽  
pp. eabb9062
Author(s):  
Daniel C. Corbett ◽  
Wesley B. Fabyan ◽  
Bagrat Grigoryan ◽  
Colleen E. O’Connor ◽  
Fredrik Johansson ◽  
...  

Spatial patterns of gene expression in living organisms orchestrate cell decisions in development, homeostasis, and disease. However, most methods for reconstructing gene patterning in 3D cell culture and artificial tissues are restricted by patterning depth and scale. We introduce a depth- and scale-flexible method to direct volumetric gene expression patterning in 3D artificial tissues, which we call “heat exchangers for actuation of transcription” (HEAT). This approach leverages fluid-based heat transfer from printed networks in the tissues to activate heat-inducible transgenes expressed by embedded cells. We show that gene expression patterning can be tuned both spatially and dynamically by varying channel network architecture, fluid temperature, fluid flow direction, and stimulation timing in a user-defined manner and maintained in vivo. We apply this approach to activate the 3D positional expression of Wnt ligands and Wnt/β-catenin pathway regulators, which are major regulators of development, homeostasis, regeneration, and cancer throughout the animal kingdom.

Author(s):  
Dina Nitiša ◽  
Nityanand Jain ◽  
Arvīds Irmejs ◽  
Valdis Pirsko ◽  
Inese Čakstiņa

AbstractBreast cancer (BC) is the most common cause of cancer-related deaths among women in Europe and worldwide. Adherent (2D) cell cultures have been the routine in vitro model system employed in preclinical BC research for the last half-century. Over the past decade, new protocols have been developed allowing patient-derived three-dimensional organoid (3D) cell culture development from a range of solid tumours, including BC. These 3D models offer a promise of closer resemblance to the native tumour than the 2D cultures. To test the assumption that an in vitro 3D BC model system provides increased faithfulness to the molecular processes happening in vivo, as compared to 2D BC cultures, post-operational material from three BC patients was used to simultaneously develop 2D and 3D cultures in vitro. When analysed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR), the gene expression patterns of the cells from 3D cultures resembled the original tissues, while the gene expression patterns of the conventional 2D cultures were more distant.


2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 119
Author(s):  
Motomichi Doi ◽  
Megumi Sato ◽  
Yoshihiro Ohmiya

Both fluorescent and luminescent observation are widely used to examine real-time gene expression patterns in living organisms. Several fluuorescent and luminescent proteins with specific optical properties have been developed and applied for simultaneous, multi-color observation of more than two gene expression profiles. Compared to fluorescent proteins, however, the application of multi-color luminescent imaging in living organisms is still limited. In this study, we introduced two-color luciferases into the soil nematode C. elegans and performed simultaneous analysis of two gene expression profiles. Using a green-emitting luciferase Eluc (emerald luciferase) and red-emitting luciferase SLR (stable luciferase red), the expression patterns of two genes were simultaneously observed in single animals from embryonic to adult stages over its whole life span. In addition, dual gene activities were observed at the single embryo level, with the simultaneous observation of morphological changes. These are the first application of a two-color luciferase system into a whole animal and suggest that precise relationship of expression patterns of multiple genes of interest can be analyzed over the whole life of the animal, dependent on the changes in genetic and/or environmental conditions.


2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (15) ◽  
pp. 1689-1694 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aline G. Souza ◽  
Isaura Beatriz B. Silva ◽  
Esther Campos-Fernandez ◽  
Leticia S. Barcelos ◽  
Jessica Brito Souza ◽  
...  

Background: In vitro tests allow establishing experimental variables. However, in vitro results cannot be extrapolated to in vivo tests. Considering that three-dimensional (3D) culture has been one of the best ways to portray the in vivo system of most cell types, it is possible to carry out assays with a great clinical relevance for the analysis of the screening, action and resistance of antitumor drugs. Objective: Thus, the objective of the present study was to compare between 2D and 3D cell culture forms to conclude which is the most suitable model for preclinical in vitro drug testing. Method: We evaluated the proliferation, genetic expression and chemoresistance of prostate tumor cell lines, PC- 3, LNCaP and DU145. Prostate tumor cell lines PC-3, LNCaP and DU145 were treated with the antineoplastic drugs paclitaxel and docetaxel and evaluated with cytotoxicity, cell proliferation and gene expression assays in 2D and magnetic 3D bioprinting cultures. Results: Lower cell proliferation rate, more resistance to paclitaxel and docetaxel and altered gene expression profile was shown in 3D cell culture comparing with its 2D counterpart. Conclusion: 3D cell culture exhibited a more similar behavior to in vivo systems, being a promising and more reliable tool for the development of new drugs.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephan M. Tirier ◽  
Jeongbin Park ◽  
Friedrich Preußer ◽  
Lisa Amrhein ◽  
Zuguang Gu ◽  
...  

Abstract3D-culture systems have advanced cancer modeling by reflecting physiological characteristics of in-vivo tissues, but our understanding of functional intratumor heterogeneity including visual phenotypes and underlying gene expression is still limited. Single-cell RNA-sequencing is the method of choice to dissect transcriptional tumor cell heterogeneity in an unbiased way, but this approach is limited in correlating gene expression with contextual cellular phenotypes.To link morphological features and gene expression in 3D-culture systems, we present ‘pheno-seq’ for integrated high-throughput imaging and transcriptomic profiling of clonal tumor spheroids. Specifically, we identify characteristic EMT expression signatures that are associated with invasive growth behavior in a 3D breast cancer model. Additionally, pheno-seq determined transcriptional programs containing lineage-specific markers that can be linked to heterogeneous proliferative capacity in a patient-derived 3D model of colorectal cancer. Finally, we provide evidence that pheno-seq identifies morphology-specific genes that are missed by scRNA-seq and inferred single-cell regulatory states without acquiring additional single cell expression profiles. We anticipate that directly linking molecular features with patho-phenotypes of cancer cells will improve the understanding of intratumor heterogeneity and consequently be useful for translational research.


2008 ◽  
Vol 46 (01) ◽  
Author(s):  
F Moriconi ◽  
H Christiansen ◽  
H Christiansen ◽  
N Sheikh ◽  
J Dudas ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 139 ◽  
pp. 153-160
Author(s):  
S Peeralil ◽  
TC Joseph ◽  
V Murugadas ◽  
PG Akhilnath ◽  
VN Sreejith ◽  
...  

Luminescent Vibrio harveyi is common in sea and estuarine waters. It produces several virulence factors and negatively affects larval penaeid shrimp in hatcheries, resulting in severe economic losses to shrimp aquaculture. Although V. harveyi is an important pathogen of shrimp, its pathogenicity mechanisms have yet to be completely elucidated. In the present study, isolates of V. harveyi were isolated and characterized from diseased Penaeus monodon postlarvae from hatcheries in Kerala, India, from September to December 2016. All 23 tested isolates were positive for lipase, phospholipase, caseinase, gelatinase and chitinase activity, and 3 of the isolates (MFB32, MFB71 and MFB68) showed potential for significant biofilm formation. Based on the presence of virulence genes, the isolates of V. harveyi were grouped into 6 genotypes, predominated by vhpA+ flaB+ ser+ vhh1- luxR+ vopD- vcrD+ vscN-. One isolate from each genotype was randomly selected for in vivo virulence experiments, and the LD50 ranged from 1.7 ± 0.5 × 103 to 4.1 ± 0.1 × 105 CFU ml-1. The expression of genes during the infection in postlarvae was high in 2 of the isolates (MFB12 and MFB32), consistent with the result of the challenge test. However, in MFB19, even though all genes tested were present, their expression level was very low and likely contributed to its lack of virulence. Because of the significant variation in gene expression, the presence of virulence genes alone cannot be used as a marker for pathogenicity of V. harveyi.


2017 ◽  
Vol 95 (3) ◽  
pp. 1313 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Zhang ◽  
L. F. Schütz ◽  
C. L. Robinson ◽  
M. L. Totty ◽  
L. J. Spicer

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