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Harcha PA, López-López T, Palacios AG, Sáez PJ. Pannexin Channel Regulation of Cell Migration: Focus on Immune Cells. Front Immunol 2022; 12:750480. [PMID: 34975840 PMCID: PMC8716617 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.750480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The role of Pannexin (PANX) channels during collective and single cell migration is increasingly recognized. Amongst many functions that are relevant to cell migration, here we focus on the role of PANX-mediated adenine nucleotide release and associated autocrine and paracrine signaling. We also summarize the contribution of PANXs with the cytoskeleton, which is also key regulator of cell migration. PANXs, as mechanosensitive ATP releasing channels, provide a unique link between cell migration and purinergic communication. The functional association with several purinergic receptors, together with a plethora of signals that modulate their opening, allows PANX channels to integrate physical and chemical cues during inflammation. Ubiquitously expressed in almost all immune cells, PANX1 opening has been reported in different immunological contexts. Immune activation is the epitome coordination between cell communication and migration, as leukocytes (i.e., T cells, dendritic cells) exchange information while migrating towards the injury site. In the current review, we summarized the contribution of PANX channels during immune cell migration and recruitment; although we also compile the available evidence for non-immune cells (including fibroblasts, keratinocytes, astrocytes, and cancer cells). Finally, we discuss the current evidence of PANX1 and PANX3 channels as a both positive and/or negative regulator in different inflammatory conditions, proposing a general mechanism of these channels contribution during cell migration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paloma A Harcha
- Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencia de Valparaíso, Instituto de Neurociencia, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile
| | - Tamara López-López
- Cell Communication and Migration Laboratory, Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Cell Biology, Center for Experimental Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Adrián G Palacios
- Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencia de Valparaíso, Instituto de Neurociencia, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile
| | - Pablo J Sáez
- Cell Communication and Migration Laboratory, Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Cell Biology, Center for Experimental Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
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52
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Zhang R, Mozaffari A, de Pablo JJ. Logic operations with active topological defects. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabg9060. [PMID: 35196084 PMCID: PMC8865799 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abg9060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2021] [Accepted: 12/30/2021] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Logic operations performed by semiconductor-based transistors are the basis of modern computing. There is considerable interest in creating autonomous materials systems endowed with the capability to make decisions. In this work, we introduce the concept of using topological defects in active matter to perform logic operations. When an extensile active stress in a nematic liquid crystal is turned on, +1/2 defects can self-propel, in analogy to electron transport under a voltage gradient. By relying on hydrodynamic simulations of active nematics, we demonstrate that patterns of activity, when combined with surfaces imparting certain orientations, can be used to control the formation and transport of +1/2 defects. We further show that asymmetric high- and low-activity patterns can be used to create effective defect gates, tunnels, and amplifiers. The proposed active systems offer the potential to perform computations and transmit information in active soft materials, including actin-, tubulin-, and cell-based systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Zhang
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
- Department of Physics, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR
| | - Ali Mozaffari
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
- OpenEye Scientific Software, Inc., 9 Bisbee Court Suite D, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87508, USA
| | - Juan J. de Pablo
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
- Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL 60439, USA
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53
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Bentley SA, Laeverenz-Schlogelhofer H, Anagnostidis V, Cammann J, Mazza MG, Gielen F, Wan KY. Phenotyping single-cell motility in microfluidic confinement. eLife 2022; 11:76519. [PMID: 36416411 PMCID: PMC9683786 DOI: 10.7554/elife.76519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Accepted: 10/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The movement trajectories of organisms serve as dynamic read-outs of their behaviour and physiology. For microorganisms this can be difficult to resolve due to their small size and fast movement. Here, we devise a novel droplet microfluidics assay to encapsulate single micron-sized algae inside closed arenas, enabling ultralong high-speed tracking of the same cell. Comparing two model species - Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (freshwater, 2 cilia), and Pyramimonas octopus (marine, 8 cilia), we detail their highly-stereotyped yet contrasting swimming behaviours and environmental interactions. By measuring the rates and probabilities with which cells transition between a trio of motility states (smooth-forward swimming, quiescence, tumbling or excitable backward swimming), we reconstruct the control network that underlies this gait switching dynamics. A simplified model of cell-roaming in circular confinement reproduces the observed long-term behaviours and spatial fluxes, including novel boundary circulation behaviour. Finally, we establish an assay in which pairs of droplets are fused on demand, one containing a trapped cell with another containing a chemical that perturbs cellular excitability, to reveal how aneural microorganisms adapt their locomotor patterns in real-time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel A Bentley
- Living Systems Institute, University of ExeterExeterUnited Kingdom,Mathematics and Statistics, University of ExeterExeterUnited Kingdom,Biosciences, University of ExeterExeterUnited Kingdom
| | - Hannah Laeverenz-Schlogelhofer
- Living Systems Institute, University of ExeterExeterUnited Kingdom,Mathematics and Statistics, University of ExeterExeterUnited Kingdom
| | - Vasileios Anagnostidis
- Living Systems Institute, University of ExeterExeterUnited Kingdom,Biosciences, University of ExeterExeterUnited Kingdom,Physics and Astronomy, University of ExeterExeterUnited Kingdom
| | - Jan Cammann
- Interdisciplinary Centre for Mathematical Modelling and Department of Mathematical Sciences, Loughborough UniversityLoughboroughUnited Kingdom
| | - Marco G Mazza
- Interdisciplinary Centre for Mathematical Modelling and Department of Mathematical Sciences, Loughborough UniversityLoughboroughUnited Kingdom,Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (MPIDS)GöttingenGermany
| | - Fabrice Gielen
- Living Systems Institute, University of ExeterExeterUnited Kingdom,Physics and Astronomy, University of ExeterExeterUnited Kingdom
| | - Kirsty Y Wan
- Living Systems Institute, University of ExeterExeterUnited Kingdom,Mathematics and Statistics, University of ExeterExeterUnited Kingdom
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54
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Shellard A, Mayor R. Collective durotaxis along a self-generated stiffness gradient in vivo. Nature 2021; 600:690-694. [PMID: 34880503 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-04210-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Collective cell migration underlies morphogenesis, wound healing and cancer invasion1,2. Most directed migration in vivo has been attributed to chemotaxis, whereby cells follow a chemical gradient3-5. Cells can also follow a stiffness gradient in vitro, a process called durotaxis3,4,6-8, but evidence for durotaxis in vivo is lacking6. Here we show that in Xenopus laevis the neural crest-an embryonic cell population-self-generates a stiffness gradient in the adjacent placodal tissue, and follows this gradient by durotaxis. The gradient moves with the neural crest, which is continually pursuing a retreating region of high substrate stiffness. Mechanistically, the neural crest induces the gradient due to N-cadherin interactions with the placodes and senses the gradient through cell-matrix adhesions, resulting in polarized Rac activity and actomyosin contractility, which coordinates durotaxis. Durotaxis synergizes with chemotaxis, cooperatively polarizing actomyosin machinery of the cell group to prompt efficient directional collective cell migration in vivo. These results show that durotaxis and dynamic stiffness gradients exist in vivo, and gradients of chemical and mechanical signals cooperate to achieve efficient directional cell migration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Shellard
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Roberto Mayor
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, London, UK.
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55
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Williams RSB, Chubb JR, Insall R, King JS, Pears CJ, Thompson E, Weijer CJ. Moving the Research Forward: The Best of British Biology Using the Tractable Model System Dictyostelium discoideum. Cells 2021; 10:3036. [PMID: 34831258 PMCID: PMC8616412 DOI: 10.3390/cells10113036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2021] [Revised: 11/01/2021] [Accepted: 11/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum provides an excellent model for research across a broad range of disciplines within biology. The organism diverged from the plant, yeast, fungi and animal kingdoms around 1 billion years ago but retains common aspects found in these kingdoms. Dictyostelium has a low level of genetic complexity and provides a range of molecular, cellular, biochemical and developmental biology experimental techniques, enabling multidisciplinary studies to be carried out in a wide range of areas, leading to research breakthroughs. Numerous laboratories within the United Kingdom employ Dictyostelium as their core research model. This review introduces Dictyostelium and then highlights research from several leading British research laboratories, covering their distinct areas of research, the benefits of using the model, and the breakthroughs that have arisen due to the use of Dictyostelium as a tractable model system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robin S. B. Williams
- Centre for Biomedical Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham TW20 0EX, UK
| | - Jonathan R. Chubb
- UCL Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK;
| | - Robert Insall
- Institute of Cancer Sciences, University of Glasgow, Switchback Road, Glasgow G61 1QH, UK;
| | - Jason S. King
- School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Firth Court, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK;
| | - Catherine J. Pears
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK;
| | - Elinor Thompson
- School of Science, University of Greenwich, Chatham Maritime, Chatham ME4 4TB, UK;
| | - Cornelis J. Weijer
- Division of Cell and Developmental Biology, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK;
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56
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Sarkar K, Chakraborty S, Bonnerjee D, Bagh S. Distributed Computing with Engineered Bacteria and Its Application in Solving Chemically Generated 2 × 2 Maze Problems. ACS Synth Biol 2021; 10:2456-2464. [PMID: 34543017 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.1c00279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
This work presented an application of genetic distributed computing, where an abstract computational problem was mapped on a complex truth table and solved using simple genetic circuits distributed among various cell populations. Maze generating and solving are challenging problems in mathematics and computing. Here, we mapped all the input-output matrices of a 2 × 2 mathematical maze on a 4-input-4-output truth table. The logic values of four chemical inputs determined the 16 different 2 × 2 maze problems on a chemical space. We created six multi-input synthetic genetic AND gates, which distributed among six cell populations and organized in a single layer. Those cell populations in a mixed culture worked as a computational solver, which solved the chemically generated maze problems by expressing or not expressing four different fluorescent proteins. The three available "solutions" were visualized by glowing bacteria, and for the 13 "no solution" cases, no bacteria glowed. Thus, our system not only solved the maze problems but also showed the number of solvable and unsolvable problems. This work may have significance in cellular computation and synthetic biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathakali Sarkar
- Biophysics and Structural Genomics Division, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, Homi Bhabha National Institute (HBNI), Block A/F, Sector-I, Bidhannagar, Kolkata 700064, India
| | - Saswata Chakraborty
- Biophysics and Structural Genomics Division, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, Homi Bhabha National Institute (HBNI), Block A/F, Sector-I, Bidhannagar, Kolkata 700064, India
| | - Deepro Bonnerjee
- Biophysics and Structural Genomics Division, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, Homi Bhabha National Institute (HBNI), Block A/F, Sector-I, Bidhannagar, Kolkata 700064, India
| | - Sangram Bagh
- Biophysics and Structural Genomics Division, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, Homi Bhabha National Institute (HBNI), Block A/F, Sector-I, Bidhannagar, Kolkata 700064, India
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57
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Transmembrane transport in inorganic colloidal cell-mimics. Nature 2021; 597:220-224. [PMID: 34497391 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03774-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
A key aspect of living cells is their ability to harvest energy from the environment and use it to pump specific atomic and molecular species in and out of their system-typically against an unfavourable concentration gradient1. Active transport allows cells to store metabolic energy, extract waste and supply organelles with basic building blocks at the submicrometre scale. Unlike living cells, abiotic systems do not have the delicate biochemical machinery that can be specifically activated to precisely control biological matter2-5. Here we report the creation of microcapsules that can be brought out of equilibrium by simple global variables (illumination and pH), to capture, concentrate, store and deliver generic microscopic payloads. Borrowing no materials from biology, our design uses hollow colloids serving as spherical cell-membrane mimics, with a well-defined single micropore. Precisely tunable monodisperse capsules are the result of a synthetic self-inflation mechanism and can be produced in bulk quantities. Inside the hollow unit, a photoswitchable catalyst6 produces a chemical gradient that propagates to the exterior through the membrane's micropore and pumps target objects into the cell, acting as a phoretic tractor beam7. An entropic energy barrier8,9 brought about by the micropore's geometry retains the cargo even when the catalyst is switched off. Delivery is accomplished on demand by reversing the sign of the phoretic interaction. Our findings provide a blueprint for developing the next generation of smart materials, autonomous micromachinery and artificial cell-mimics.
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58
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Glaser KM, Mihlan M, Lämmermann T. Positive feedback amplification in swarming immune cell populations. Curr Opin Cell Biol 2021; 72:156-162. [PMID: 34500367 DOI: 10.1016/j.ceb.2021.07.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2021] [Revised: 07/07/2021] [Accepted: 07/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Several immune cell types (neutrophils, eosinophils, T cells, and innate-like lymphocytes) display coordinated migration patterns when a population, formed of individually responding cells, moves through inflamed or infected tissues. "Swarming" refers to the process in which a population of migrating leukocytes switches from random motility to highly directed chemotaxis to form local cell clusters. Positive feedback amplification underlies this behavior and results from intercellular communication in the immune cell population. We here highlight recent findings on neutrophil swarming from mouse models, zebrafish larvae, and in vitro platforms for human cells, which together advanced our understanding of the principles and molecular mechanisms that shape immune cell swarming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina M Glaser
- Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, Freiburg, Germany; International Max Planck Research School for Immunobiology, Epigenetics and Metabolism (IMPRS-IEM), Freiburg, Germany; Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Michael Mihlan
- Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Tim Lämmermann
- Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, Freiburg, Germany.
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59
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Xu X, Pan M, Jin T. How Phagocytes Acquired the Capability of Hunting and Removing Pathogens From a Human Body: Lessons Learned From Chemotaxis and Phagocytosis of Dictyostelium discoideum (Review). Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:724940. [PMID: 34490271 PMCID: PMC8417749 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.724940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2021] [Accepted: 07/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
How phagocytes find invading microorganisms and eliminate pathogenic ones from human bodies is a fundamental question in the study of infectious diseases. About 2.5 billion years ago, eukaryotic unicellular organisms–protozoans–appeared and started to interact with various bacteria. Less than 1 billion years ago, multicellular animals–metazoans–appeared and acquired the ability to distinguish self from non-self and to remove harmful organisms from their bodies. Since then, animals have developed innate immunity in which specialized white-blood cells phagocytes- patrol the body to kill pathogenic bacteria. The social amoebae Dictyostelium discoideum are prototypical phagocytes that chase various bacteria via chemotaxis and consume them as food via phagocytosis. Studies of this genetically amendable organism have revealed evolutionarily conserved mechanisms underlying chemotaxis and phagocytosis and shed light on studies of phagocytes in mammals. In this review, we briefly summarize important studies that contribute to our current understanding of how phagocytes effectively find and kill pathogens via chemotaxis and phagocytosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuehua Xu
- Chemotaxis Signal Section, Laboratory of Immunogenetics, NIAID, NIH, Rockville, MD, United States
| | - Miao Pan
- Chemotaxis Signal Section, Laboratory of Immunogenetics, NIAID, NIH, Rockville, MD, United States
| | - Tian Jin
- Chemotaxis Signal Section, Laboratory of Immunogenetics, NIAID, NIH, Rockville, MD, United States
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60
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Cochet-Escartin O, Demircigil M, Hirose S, Allais B, Gonzalo P, Mikaelian I, Funamoto K, Anjard C, Calvez V, Rieu JP. Hypoxia triggers collective aerotactic migration in Dictyostelium discoideum. eLife 2021; 10:64731. [PMID: 34415238 PMCID: PMC8378850 DOI: 10.7554/elife.64731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2020] [Accepted: 07/30/2021] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Using a self-generated hypoxic assay, we show that the amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum displays a remarkable collective aerotactic behavior. When a cell colony is covered, cells quickly consume the available oxygen (O2) and form a dense ring moving outwards at constant speed and density. To decipher this collective process, we combined two technological developments: porphyrin-based O2 -sensing films and microfluidic O2 gradient generators. We showed that Dictyostelium cells exhibit aerotactic and aerokinetic response in a low range of O2 concentration indicative of a very efficient detection mechanism. Cell behaviors under self-generated or imposed O2 gradients were modeled using an in silico cellular Potts model built on experimental observations. This computational model was complemented with a parsimonious ‘Go or Grow’ partial differential equation (PDE) model. In both models, we found that the collective migration of a dense ring can be explained by the interplay between cell division and the modulation of aerotaxis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivier Cochet-Escartin
- Institut Lumière Matière, UMR5306, Université Lyon 1-CNRS, Université de Lyon, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Mete Demircigil
- Institut Camille Jordan, UMR5208, Université Lyon 1-CNRS, Université de Lyon, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Satomi Hirose
- Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.,Institute of Fluid Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Blandine Allais
- Institut Lumière Matière, UMR5306, Université Lyon 1-CNRS, Université de Lyon, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Philippe Gonzalo
- Centre Léon Bérard, Centre de recherche en cancérologie de Lyon, INSERM 1052, CNRS 5286, Université Lyon 1, Université de Lyon, Lyon, France.,Laboratoire de Biochimie et Pharmacologie, Faculté de médecine de Saint-Etienne, CHU de Saint-Etienne, Saint-Etienne, France
| | - Ivan Mikaelian
- Centre Léon Bérard, Centre de recherche en cancérologie de Lyon, INSERM 1052, CNRS 5286, Université Lyon 1, Université de Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Kenichi Funamoto
- Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.,Institute of Fluid Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.,Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Christophe Anjard
- Institut Lumière Matière, UMR5306, Université Lyon 1-CNRS, Université de Lyon, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Vincent Calvez
- Institut Camille Jordan, UMR5208, Université Lyon 1-CNRS, Université de Lyon, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Jean-Paul Rieu
- Institut Lumière Matière, UMR5306, Université Lyon 1-CNRS, Université de Lyon, Villeurbanne, France
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61
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Rocha-Gregg B, Huttenlocher A. Signal integration in forward and reverse neutrophil migration: Fundamentals and emerging mechanisms. Curr Opin Cell Biol 2021; 72:124-130. [PMID: 34411839 DOI: 10.1016/j.ceb.2021.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2021] [Revised: 06/07/2021] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Neutrophils migrate to sites of tissue damage, where they protect the host against pathogens. Often, the cost of these neutrophil defenses is collateral damage to healthy tissues. Thus, the immune system has evolved multiple mechanisms to regulate neutrophil migration. One of these mechanisms is reverse migration - the process whereby neutrophils leave the source of inflammation. In vivo, neutrophils arrive and depart the wound simultaneously - indicating that neutrophils dynamically integrate conflicting signals to engage in forward and reverse migration. This finding is seemingly at odds with the established chemoattractant hierarchy in vitro, which places wound-derived signals at the top. Here we will discuss recent work that has uncovered key players involved in retaining and dispersing neutrophils from wounds. These findings offer the opportunity to integrate established and emerging mechanisms into a holistic model for neutrophil migration in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Briana Rocha-Gregg
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Anna Huttenlocher
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA; Department of Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
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62
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Wong M, Gilmour D. Going your own way: Self-guidance mechanisms in cell migration. Curr Opin Cell Biol 2021; 72:116-123. [PMID: 34403875 DOI: 10.1016/j.ceb.2021.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2021] [Revised: 06/11/2021] [Accepted: 07/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
How cells and tissues migrate from one location to another is a question of significant biological and medical relevance. Migration is generally thought to be controlled by external hardwired guidance cues, which cells follow by polarizing their internal locomotory machinery in the imposed direction. However, a number of recently discovered 'self-guidance' mechanisms have revealed that migrating cells have more control over the path they follow than previously thought. Here, directional information is generated by the migrating cells themselves via a dynamic interplay of cell-intrinsic and -extrinsic regulators. In this review, we discuss how self-guidance can emerge from mechanisms acting at different levels of scale and how these enable cells to rapidly adapt to environmental challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mie Wong
- Department of Molecular Life Sciences, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Darren Gilmour
- Department of Molecular Life Sciences, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland.
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63
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SenGupta S, Parent CA, Bear JE. The principles of directed cell migration. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 2021; 22:529-547. [PMID: 33990789 PMCID: PMC8663916 DOI: 10.1038/s41580-021-00366-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 210] [Impact Index Per Article: 70.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/30/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Cells have the ability to respond to various types of environmental cues, and in many cases these cues induce directed cell migration towards or away from these signals. How cells sense these cues and how they transmit that information to the cytoskeletal machinery governing cell translocation is one of the oldest and most challenging problems in biology. Chemotaxis, or migration towards diffusible chemical cues, has been studied for more than a century, but information is just now beginning to emerge about how cells respond to other cues, such as substrate-associated cues during haptotaxis (chemical cues on the surface), durotaxis (mechanical substrate compliance) and topotaxis (geometric features of substrate). Here we propose four common principles, or pillars, that underlie all forms of directed migration. First, a signal must be generated, a process that in physiological environments is much more nuanced than early studies suggested. Second, the signal must be sensed, sometimes by cell surface receptors, but also in ways that are not entirely clear, such as in the case of mechanical cues. Third, the signal has to be transmitted from the sensing modules to the machinery that executes the actual movement, a step that often requires amplification. Fourth, the signal has to be converted into the application of asymmetric force relative to the substrate, which involves mostly the cytoskeleton, but perhaps other players as well. Use of these four pillars has allowed us to compare some of the similarities between different types of directed migration, but also to highlight the remarkable diversity in the mechanisms that cells use to respond to different cues provided by their environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuvasree SenGupta
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Carole A Parent
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Rogel Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Life Sciences Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - James E Bear
- UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
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64
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Kienle K, Glaser KM, Eickhoff S, Mihlan M, Knöpper K, Reátegui E, Epple MW, Gunzer M, Baumeister R, Tarrant TK, Germain RN, Irimia D, Kastenmüller W, Lämmermann T. Neutrophils self-limit swarming to contain bacterial growth in vivo. Science 2021; 372:372/6548/eabe7729. [PMID: 34140358 DOI: 10.1126/science.abe7729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2020] [Accepted: 04/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Neutrophils communicate with each other to form swarms in infected organs. Coordination of this population response is critical for the elimination of bacteria and fungi. Using transgenic mice, we found that neutrophils have evolved an intrinsic mechanism to self-limit swarming and avoid uncontrolled aggregation during inflammation. G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) desensitization acts as a negative feedback control to stop migration of neutrophils when they sense high concentrations of self-secreted attractants that initially amplify swarming. Interference with this process allows neutrophils to scan larger tissue areas for microbes. Unexpectedly, this does not benefit bacterial clearance as containment of proliferating bacteria by neutrophil clusters becomes impeded. Our data reveal how autosignaling stops self-organized swarming behavior and how the finely tuned balance of neutrophil chemotaxis and arrest counteracts bacterial escape.
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Affiliation(s)
- Korbinian Kienle
- Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, Freiburg, Germany.,International Max Planck Research School for Immunobiology, Epigenetics and Metabolism (IMPRS-IEM), Freiburg, Germany.,Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Katharina M Glaser
- Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, Freiburg, Germany.,International Max Planck Research School for Immunobiology, Epigenetics and Metabolism (IMPRS-IEM), Freiburg, Germany.,Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Sarah Eickhoff
- Institute of Systems Immunology, University of Würzburg, Max Planck Research Group, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Michael Mihlan
- Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Konrad Knöpper
- Institute of Systems Immunology, University of Würzburg, Max Planck Research Group, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Eduardo Reátegui
- Center for Engineering in Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Shriners Hospital for Children, Boston, MA, USA.,William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Maximilian W Epple
- Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, Freiburg, Germany.,International Max Planck Research School for Immunobiology, Epigenetics and Metabolism (IMPRS-IEM), Freiburg, Germany.,Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Matthias Gunzer
- Institute for Experimental Immunology and Imaging, University Hospital, University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.,Leibniz-Institut für Analytische Wissenschaften-ISAS-e.V., Dortmund, Germany
| | - Ralf Baumeister
- Bioinformatics and Molecular Genetics, Faculty of Biology, Centre for Biochemistry and Molecular Cell Research, Faculty of Medicine, Signalling Research Centres BIOSS and CIBSS, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Teresa K Tarrant
- Division of Rheumatology and Immunology, Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Ronald N Germain
- Laboratory of Immune System Biology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Daniel Irimia
- Center for Engineering in Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Shriners Hospital for Children, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Wolfgang Kastenmüller
- Institute of Systems Immunology, University of Würzburg, Max Planck Research Group, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Tim Lämmermann
- Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, Freiburg, Germany.
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65
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Burn GL, Foti A, Marsman G, Patel DF, Zychlinsky A. The Neutrophil. Immunity 2021; 54:1377-1391. [PMID: 34260886 DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2021.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 208] [Impact Index Per Article: 69.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2021] [Revised: 04/30/2021] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Neutrophils are immune cells with unusual biological features that furnish potent antimicrobial properties. These cells phagocytose and subsequently kill prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms very efficiently. Importantly, it is not only their ability to attack microbes within a constrained intracellular compartment that endows neutrophils with antimicrobial function. They can unleash their effectors into the extracellular space, where, even post-mortem, their killing machinery can endure and remain functional. The antimicrobial activity of neutrophils must not be misconstrued as being microbe specific and should be viewed more generally as biotoxic. Outside of fighting infections, neutrophils can harness their noxious machinery in other contexts, like cancer. Inappropriate or dysregulated neutrophil activation damages the host and contributes to autoimmune and inflammatory disease. Here we review a number of topics related to neutrophil biology based on contemporary findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Garth Lawrence Burn
- Department of Cellular Microbiology, Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Alessandro Foti
- Department of Cellular Microbiology, Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Gerben Marsman
- Department of Cellular Microbiology, Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Dhiren Ferise Patel
- Department of Cellular Microbiology, Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Arturo Zychlinsky
- Department of Cellular Microbiology, Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany.
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66
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Cell dispersal by localized degradation of a chemoattractant. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2008126118. [PMID: 33526658 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2008126118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Chemotaxis, the guided motion of cells by chemical gradients, plays a crucial role in many biological processes. In the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum, chemotaxis is critical for the formation of cell aggregates during starvation. The cells in these aggregates generate a pulse of the chemoattractant, cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP), every 6 min to 10 min, resulting in surrounding cells moving toward the aggregate. In addition to periodic pulses of cAMP, the cells also secrete phosphodiesterase (PDE), which degrades cAMP and prevents the accumulation of the chemoattractant. Here we show that small aggregates of Dictyostelium can disperse, with cells moving away from instead of toward the aggregate. This surprising behavior often exhibited oscillatory cycles of motion toward and away from the aggregate. Furthermore, the onset of outward cell motion was associated with a doubling of the cAMP signaling period. Computational modeling suggests that this dispersal arises from a competition between secreted cAMP and PDE, creating a cAMP gradient that is directed away from the aggregate, resulting in outward cell motion. The model was able to predict the effect of PDE inhibition as well as global addition of exogenous PDE, and these predictions were subsequently verified in experiments. These results suggest that localized degradation of a chemoattractant is a mechanism for morphogenesis.
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67
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Abstract
Neutrophils exhibit self-control to resolve infection and tissue damage
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Affiliation(s)
- Briana L Rocha-Gregg
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Anna Huttenlocher
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
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68
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Weijer CJ. Chemotaxis: Active Degradation of Attractant Enables Optimal Maze Navigation. Curr Biol 2021; 30:R1436-R1438. [PMID: 33290714 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.09.084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
How signals coordinate and direct chemotaxis is an issue that is actively investigated. A new study shows how the dynamic alteration of chemoattractant flux by chemotaxing cells provides an efficient way to solve complex navigational tasks, including finding the optimal path through a complex maze.
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69
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Mallatt J, Blatt MR, Draguhn A, Robinson DG, Taiz L. Debunking a myth: plant consciousness. PROTOPLASMA 2021; 258:459-476. [PMID: 33196907 PMCID: PMC8052213 DOI: 10.1007/s00709-020-01579-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2020] [Accepted: 10/22/2020] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Claims that plants have conscious experiences have increased in recent years and have received wide coverage, from the popular media to scientific journals. Such claims are misleading and have the potential to misdirect funding and governmental policy decisions. After defining basic, primary consciousness, we provide new arguments against 12 core claims made by the proponents of plant consciousness. Three important new conclusions of our study are (1) plants have not been shown to perform the proactive, anticipatory behaviors associated with consciousness, but only to sense and follow stimulus trails reactively; (2) electrophysiological signaling in plants serves immediate physiological functions rather than integrative-information processing as in nervous systems of animals, giving no indication of plant consciousness; (3) the controversial claim of classical Pavlovian learning in plants, even if correct, is irrelevant because this type of learning does not require consciousness. Finally, we present our own hypothesis, based on two logical assumptions, concerning which organisms possess consciousness. Our first assumption is that affective (emotional) consciousness is marked by an advanced capacity for operant learning about rewards and punishments. Our second assumption is that image-based conscious experience is marked by demonstrably mapped representations of the external environment within the body. Certain animals fit both of these criteria, but plants fit neither. We conclude that claims for plant consciousness are highly speculative and lack sound scientific support.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jon Mallatt
- The University of Washington WWAMI Medical Education Program at The University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844 USA
| | - Michael R. Blatt
- Laboratory of Plant Physiology and Biophysics, Bower Building, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ UK
| | - Andreas Draguhn
- Institute for Physiology and Pathophysiology, Medical Faculty, University of Heidelberg, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - David G. Robinson
- Centre for Organismal Studies, University of Heidelberg, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Lincoln Taiz
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 USA
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70
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Stock J, Pauli A. Self-organized cell migration across scales - from single cell movement to tissue formation. Development 2021; 148:148/7/dev191767. [PMID: 33824176 DOI: 10.1242/dev.191767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Self-organization is a key feature of many biological and developmental processes, including cell migration. Although cell migration has traditionally been viewed as a biological response to extrinsic signals, advances within the past two decades have highlighted the importance of intrinsic self-organizing properties to direct cell migration on multiple scales. In this Review, we will explore self-organizing mechanisms that lay the foundation for both single and collective cell migration. Based on in vitro and in vivo examples, we will discuss theoretical concepts that underlie the persistent migration of single cells in the absence of directional guidance cues, and the formation of an autonomous cell collective that drives coordinated migration. Finally, we highlight the general implications of self-organizing principles guiding cell migration for biological and medical research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Stock
- Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna BioCenter (VBC) Campus-Vienna-Biocenter 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Andrea Pauli
- Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna BioCenter (VBC) Campus-Vienna-Biocenter 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria
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71
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Molinaro C, Da Cunha V, Gorlas A, Iv F, Gallais L, Catchpole R, Forterre P, Baffou G. Are bacteria claustrophobic? The problem of micrometric spatial confinement for the culturing of micro-organisms. RSC Adv 2021; 11:12500-12506. [PMID: 35423787 PMCID: PMC8697133 DOI: 10.1039/d1ra00184a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2021] [Accepted: 03/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Culturing cells confined in microscale geometries has been reported in many studies this last decade, in particular following the development of microfluidic-based applications and lab-on-a-chip devices. Such studies usually examine growth of Escherichia coli. In this article, we show that E. coli may be a poor model and that spatial confinement can severely prevent the growth of many micro-organisms. By studying different bacteria and confinement geometries, we determine that the growth inhibition observed for some bacteria results from fast dioxygen depletion, inherent to spatial confinement, and not to any depletion of nutriments. This article unravels the physical origin of confinement problems in cell culture, highlighting the importance of oxygen depletion, and paves the way for the effective culturing of bacteria in confined geometries by demonstrating enhanced cell growth in confined geometries in the proximity of air bubbles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Céline Molinaro
- Institut Fresnel, CNRS, Aix Marseille University, Centrale Marseille Marseille France
| | - Violette Da Cunha
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC) 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette France
| | - Aurore Gorlas
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC) 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette France
| | - François Iv
- Institut Fresnel, CNRS, Aix Marseille University, Centrale Marseille Marseille France
| | - Laurent Gallais
- Institut Fresnel, CNRS, Aix Marseille University, Centrale Marseille Marseille France
| | - Ryan Catchpole
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC) 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette France
| | - Patrick Forterre
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC) 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette France
| | - Guillaume Baffou
- Institut Fresnel, CNRS, Aix Marseille University, Centrale Marseille Marseille France
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72
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Ohtsuka D, Ota N, Amaya S, Matsuoka S, Tanaka Y, Ueda M. A sub-population of Dictyostelium discoideum cells shows extremely high sensitivity to cAMP for directional migration. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2021; 554:131-137. [PMID: 33784508 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2021.03.095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2021] [Accepted: 03/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
The chemotaxis of Dictysotelium discoideum cells in response to a chemical gradient of cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP) was studied using a newly designed microfluidic device. The device consists of 800 cell-sized channels in parallel, each 4 μm wide, 5 μm high, and 100 μm long, allowing us to prepare the same chemical gradient in all channels and observe the motility of 500-1000 individual cells simultaneously. The percentage of cells that exhibited directed migration was determined for various cAMP concentrations ranging from 0.1 pM to 10 μM. The results show that chemotaxis was highest at 100 nM cAMP, consistent with previous observations. At concentrations as low as 10 pM, about 16% of cells still exhibited chemotaxis, suggesting that the receptor occupancy of only 6 cAMP molecules/cell can induce chemotaxis in very sensitive cells. At 100 pM cAMP, chemotaxis was suppressed due to the self-production and secretion of intracellular cAMP induced by extracellular cAMP. Overall, systematic observations of a large number of individual cells under the same chemical gradients revealed the heterogeneity of chemotaxis responses in a genetically homogeneous cell population, especially the existence of a sub-population with extremely high sensitivity for chemotaxis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daisuke Ohtsuka
- Laboratory of Single Molecule Biology, Graduate School of Science and Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, 1-3 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan
| | - Nobutoshi Ota
- Laboratory for Integrated Biodevice, Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research (BDR), RIKEN, 1-3 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan
| | - Satoshi Amaya
- Laboratory for Integrated Biodevice, Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research (BDR), RIKEN, 1-3 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan
| | - Satomi Matsuoka
- Laboratory of Single Molecule Biology, Graduate School of Science and Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, 1-3 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan; Laboratory for Cell Signaling Dynamics, BDR, RIKEN, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan; PRESTO, JST, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.
| | - Yo Tanaka
- Laboratory for Integrated Biodevice, Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research (BDR), RIKEN, 1-3 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan
| | - Masahiro Ueda
- Laboratory of Single Molecule Biology, Graduate School of Science and Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, 1-3 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan; Laboratory for Cell Signaling Dynamics, BDR, RIKEN, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.
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73
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Abstract
All living cells interact dynamically with a constantly changing world. Eukaryotes, in particular, evolved radically new ways to sense and react to their environment. These advances enabled new and more complex forms of cellular behaviour in eukaryotes, including directional movement, active feeding, mating, and responses to predation. But what are the key events and innovations during eukaryogenesis that made all of this possible? Here we describe the ancestral repertoire of eukaryotic excitability and discuss five major cellular innovations that enabled its evolutionary origin. The innovations include a vastly expanded repertoire of ion channels, the emergence of cilia and pseudopodia, endomembranes as intracellular capacitors, a flexible plasma membrane and the relocation of chemiosmotic ATP synthesis to mitochondria, which liberated the plasma membrane for more complex electrical signalling involved in sensing and reacting. We conjecture that together with an increase in cell size, these new forms of excitability greatly amplified the degrees of freedom associated with cellular responses, allowing eukaryotes to vastly outperform prokaryotes in terms of both speed and accuracy. This comprehensive new perspective on the evolution of excitability enriches our view of eukaryogenesis and emphasizes behaviour and sensing as major contributors to the success of eukaryotes. This article is part of the theme issue 'Basal cognition: conceptual tools and the view from the single cell'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirsty Y. Wan
- Living Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK
| | - Gáspár Jékely
- Living Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK
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74
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Moran JL, Wheat PM, Marine NA, Posner JD. Chemokinesis-driven accumulation of active colloids in low-mobility regions of fuel gradients. Sci Rep 2021; 11:4785. [PMID: 33637781 PMCID: PMC7910604 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-83963-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2020] [Accepted: 02/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Many motile cells exhibit migratory behaviors, such as chemotaxis (motion up or down a chemical gradient) or chemokinesis (dependence of speed on chemical concentration), which enable them to carry out vital functions including immune response, egg fertilization, and predator evasion. These have inspired researchers to develop self-propelled colloidal analogues to biological microswimmers, known as active colloids, that perform similar feats. Here, we study the behavior of half-platinum half-gold (Pt/Au) self-propelled rods in antiparallel gradients of hydrogen peroxide fuel and salt, which tend to increase and decrease the rods' speed, respectively. Brownian Dynamics simulations, a Fokker-Planck theoretical model, and experiments demonstrate that, at steady state, the rods accumulate in low-speed (salt-rich, peroxide-poor) regions not because of chemotaxis, but because of chemokinesis. Chemokinesis is distinct from chemotaxis in that no directional sensing or reorientation capabilities are required. The agreement between simulations, model, and experiments bolsters the role of chemokinesis in this system. This work suggests a novel strategy of exploiting chemokinesis to effect accumulation of motile colloids in desired areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey L Moran
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA.
| | - Philip M Wheat
- Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Nathan A Marine
- Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Jonathan D Posner
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA. .,Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA. .,Department of Family Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
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75
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Comparative analysis of continuum angiogenesis models. J Math Biol 2021; 82:21. [PMID: 33619643 PMCID: PMC7900093 DOI: 10.1007/s00285-021-01570-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2020] [Revised: 12/07/2020] [Accepted: 01/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Although discrete approaches are increasingly employed to model biological phenomena, it remains unclear how complex, population-level behaviours in such frameworks arise from the rules used to represent interactions between individuals. Discrete-to-continuum approaches, which are used to derive systems of coarse-grained equations describing the mean-field dynamics of a microscopic model, can provide insight into such emergent behaviour. Coarse-grained models often contain nonlinear terms that depend on the microscopic rules of the discrete framework, however, and such nonlinearities can make a model difficult to mathematically analyse. By contrast, models developed using phenomenological approaches are typically easier to investigate but have a more obscure connection to the underlying microscopic system. To our knowledge, there has been little work done to compare solutions of phenomenological and coarse-grained models. Here we address this problem in the context of angiogenesis (the creation of new blood vessels from existing vasculature). We compare asymptotic solutions of a classical, phenomenological “snail-trail” model for angiogenesis to solutions of a nonlinear system of partial differential equations (PDEs) derived via a systematic coarse-graining procedure (Pillay et al. in Phys Rev E 95(1):012410, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.95.012410). For distinguished parameter regimes corresponding to chemotaxis-dominated cell movement and low branching rates, both continuum models reduce at leading order to identical PDEs within the domain interior. Numerical and analytical results confirm that pointwise differences between solutions to the two continuum models are small if these conditions hold, and demonstrate how perturbation methods can be used to determine when a phenomenological model provides a good approximation to a more detailed coarse-grained system for the same biological process.
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76
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Cai C, Sun H, Hu L, Fan Z. Visualization of integrin molecules by fluorescence imaging and techniques. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2021; 45:229-257. [PMID: 34219865 PMCID: PMC8249084 DOI: 10.32604/biocell.2021.014338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Integrin molecules are transmembrane αβ heterodimers involved in cell adhesion, trafficking, and signaling. Upon activation, integrins undergo dynamic conformational changes that regulate their affinity to ligands. The physiological functions and activation mechanisms of integrins have been heavily discussed in previous studies and reviews, but the fluorescence imaging techniques -which are powerful tools for biological studies- have not. Here we review the fluorescence labeling methods, imaging techniques, as well as Förster resonance energy transfer assays used to study integrin expression, localization, activation, and functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Cai
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, UConn Health, Farmington, 06030, USA
| | - Hao Sun
- Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, 92093, USA
| | - Liang Hu
- Cardiovascular Institute of Zhengzhou University, Department of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450051, China
| | - Zhichao Fan
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, UConn Health, Farmington, 06030, USA
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77
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Abstract
The physical microenvironment of cells plays a fundamental role in regulating cellular behavior and cell fate, especially in the context of cancer metastasis. For example, capillary deformation can destroy arrested circulating tumor cells while the dense extracellular matrix can form a physical barrier for invading cancer cells. Understanding how metastatic cancer cells overcome the challenges brought forth by physical confinement can help in developing better therapeutics that can put a stop to this migratory stage of the metastatic cascade. Numerous in vivo and in vitro assays have been developed to recapitulate the metastatic processes and study cancer cell migration in a confining microenvironment. In this review, we summarize some of the representative techniques and the exciting new findings. We critically review the advantages, as well as challenges associated with these tools and methodologies, and provide a guide on the applications that they are most suited for. We hope future efforts that push forward our current understanding on metastasis under confinement can lead to novel and more effective diagnostic and therapeutic strategies against this dreaded disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kuan Jiang
- Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Lanfeng Liang
- Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Chwee Teck Lim
- Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore
- Institute for Health Innovation and Technology (iHealthtech), National University of Singapore, Singapore
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78
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Abstract
We theoretically show that isolated agents that locally and symmetrically consume resources and sense positive resource gradients can generate constant motion via bootstrapped resource gradients in the absence of any externally imposed gradients, and we show a realization of this motion using robots. This self-generated agent motion can be coupled with neighboring agents to act as a spontaneously broken symmetry seed for emergent collective dynamics. We also show that in a sufficiently weak externally imposed gradient, it is possible for an agent to move against an external resource gradient due to the local resource depression on the landscape created by an agent. This counter-intuitive boot-strapped motion against an external gradient is demonstrated with a simple robot system on an light-emitting diode (LED) light-board.
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79
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Evidence for root adaptation to a spatially discontinuous water availability in the absence of external water potential gradients. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2012892118. [PMID: 33443178 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2012892118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
We hereby show that root systems adapt to a spatially discontinuous pattern of water availability even when the gradients of water potential across them are vanishingly small. A paper microfluidic approach allowed us to expose the entire root system of Brassica rapa plants to a square array of water sources, separated by dry areas. Gradients in the concentration of water vapor across the root system were as small as 10-4⋅mM⋅m-1 (∼4 orders of magnitude smaller than in conventional hydrotropism assays). Despite such minuscule gradients (which greatly limit the possible influence of the well-understood gradient-driven hydrotropic response), our results show that 1) individual roots as well as the root system as a whole adapt to the pattern of water availability to maximize access to water, and that 2) this adaptation increases as water sources become more rare. These results suggest that either plant roots are more sensitive to water gradients than humanmade water sensors by 3-5 orders of magnitude, or they might have developed, like other organisms, mechanisms for water foraging that allow them to find water in the absence of an external gradient in water potential.
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80
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How Have Leukocyte In Vitro Chemotaxis Assays Shaped Our Ideas about Macrophage Migration? BIOLOGY 2020; 9:biology9120439. [PMID: 33276594 PMCID: PMC7761587 DOI: 10.3390/biology9120439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2020] [Revised: 11/27/2020] [Accepted: 11/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Simple Summary The migration of immune cells is vital during inflammatory responses. Macrophages, which are a subset of immune cells, are unique in the ways they migrate because they can switch between different mechanism of migration. This crucial feature of macrophage migration has been underappreciated in the literature because technologies used to study macrophage migration were not able to efficiently detect those subtle differences between macrophages and other immune cells. This review article describes popular technologies used to study macrophage migration and critically assesses their advantages and disadvantages in macrophage migration studies. Abstract Macrophage chemotaxis is crucial during both onset and resolution of inflammation and unique among all leukocytes. Macrophages are able to switch between amoeboid and mesenchymal migration to optimise their migration through 3D environments. This subtle migration phenotype has been underappreciated in the literature, with macrophages often being grouped and discussed together with other leukocytes, possibly due to the limitations of current chemotaxis assays. Transwell assays were originally designed in the 1960s but despite their long-known limitations, they are still one of the most popular methods of studying macrophage migration. This review aims to critically evaluate transwell assays, and other popular chemotaxis assays, comparing their advantages and limitations in macrophage migration studies.
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81
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Martinson WD, Byrne HM, Maini PK. Evaluating snail-trail frameworks for leader-follower behavior with agent-based modeling. Phys Rev E 2020; 102:062417. [PMID: 33466087 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.102.062417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Accepted: 11/18/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Branched networks constitute a ubiquitous structure in biology, arising in plants, lungs, and the circulatory system; however, the mechanisms behind their creation are not well understood. A commonly used model for network morphogenesis proposes that sprouts develop through interactions between leader (tip) cells and follower (stalk) cells. In this description, tip cells emerge from existing structures, travel up chemoattractant gradients, and form new networks by guiding the movement of stalk cells. Such dynamics have been mathematically represented by continuum "snail-trail" models in which the tip cell flux contributes to the stalk cell proliferation rate. Although snail-trail models constitute a classical depiction of leader-follower behavior, their accuracy has yet to be evaluated in a rigorous quantitative setting. Here, we extend the snail-trail modeling framework to two spatial dimensions by introducing a novel multiplicative factor to the stalk cell rate equation, which corrects for neglected network creation in directions other than that of the migrating front. Our derivation of this factor demonstrates that snail-trail models are valid descriptions of cell dynamics when chemotaxis dominates cell movement. We confirm that our snail-trail model accurately predicts the dynamics of tip and stalk cells in an existing agent-based model (ABM) for network formation [Pillay et al., Phys. Rev. E 95, 012410 (2017)10.1103/PhysRevE.95.012410]. We also derive conditions for which it is appropriate to use a reduced, one-dimensional snail-trail model to analyze ABM results. Our analysis identifies key metrics for cell migration that may be used to anticipate when simple snail-trail models will accurately describe experimentally observed cell dynamics in network formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- W Duncan Martinson
- Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford, Woodstock Road, Oxford OX2 6GG, United Kingdom
| | - Helen M Byrne
- Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford, Woodstock Road, Oxford OX2 6GG, United Kingdom
| | - Philip K Maini
- Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford, Woodstock Road, Oxford OX2 6GG, United Kingdom
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Abstract
Meaning has traditionally been regarded as a problem for philosophers and psychologists. Advances in cognitive science since the early 1960s, however, broadened discussions of meaning, or more technically, the semantics of perceptions, representations, and/or actions, into biology and computer science. Here, we review the notion of “meaning” as it applies to living systems, and argue that the question of how living systems create meaning unifies the biological and cognitive sciences across both organizational and temporal scales.
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83
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Tweedy L, Thomason PA, Paschke PI, Martin K, Machesky LM, Zagnoni M, Insall RH. Seeing around corners: Cells solve mazes and respond at a distance using attractant breakdown. Science 2020; 369:eaay9792. [PMID: 32855311 DOI: 10.1126/science.aay9792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2019] [Revised: 05/12/2020] [Accepted: 07/02/2020] [Indexed: 02/11/2024]
Abstract
During development and metastasis, cells migrate large distances through complex environments. Migration is often guided by chemotaxis, but simple chemoattractant gradients between a source and sink cannot direct cells over such ranges. We describe how self-generated gradients, created by cells locally degrading attractant, allow single cells to navigate long, tortuous paths and make accurate choices between live channels and dead ends. This allows cells to solve complex mazes efficiently. Cells' accuracy at finding live channels was determined by attractant diffusivity, cell speed, and path complexity. Manipulating these parameters directed cells in mathematically predictable ways; specific combinations can even actively misdirect them. We propose that the length and complexity of many long-range migratory processes, including inflammation and germ cell migration, means that self-generated gradients are needed for successful navigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luke Tweedy
- CRUK Beatson Institute, Switchback Road, Glasgow G61 1BD, UK
| | | | - Peggy I Paschke
- CRUK Beatson Institute, Switchback Road, Glasgow G61 1BD, UK
| | - Kirsty Martin
- CRUK Beatson Institute, Switchback Road, Glasgow G61 1BD, UK
| | - Laura M Machesky
- CRUK Beatson Institute, Switchback Road, Glasgow G61 1BD, UK
- Institute for Cancer Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G61 1QH, UK
| | - Michele Zagnoni
- Centre for Microsystems and Photonics, Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G1 1XW, UK
| | - Robert H Insall
- CRUK Beatson Institute, Switchback Road, Glasgow G61 1BD, UK.
- Institute for Cancer Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G61 1QH, UK
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