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McGowan SE, Gilfanov N, Chandurkar MK, Stiber JA, Han SJ. Drebrin is Required for Myosin-facilitated Actin Cytoskeletal Remodeling during Pulmonary Alveolar Development. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol 2024; 70:308-321. [PMID: 38271699 DOI: 10.1165/rcmb.2023-0229oc] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Alveolar septation increases gas-exchange surface area and requires coordinated cytoskeletal rearrangement in lung fibroblasts (LFs) to balance the demands of contraction and cell migration. We hypothesized that DBN (drebrin), a modulator of the actin cytoskeleton in neuronal dendrites, regulates the remodeling of the LF cytoskeleton. Using mice bearing a transgelin-Cre-targeted deletion of Dbn in pulmonary fibroblasts and pericytes, we examined alterations in alveolar septal outgrowth, LF spreading and migration, and actomyosin function. The alveolar surface area and number of alveoli were reduced, whereas alveolar ducts were enlarged, in mice bearing the dbn deletion (DBNΔ) compared with their littermates bearing only one dbn-Flox allele (control). Cultured DBNΔ LFs were deficient in their responses to substrate rigidity and migrated more slowly. Drebrin was abundant in the actin cortex and lamella, and the actin fiber orientation was less uniform in lamella of DBNΔ LFs, which limited the development of traction forces and altered focal adhesion dynamics. Actin fiber orientation is regulated by contractile NM2 (nonmuscle myosin-2) motors, which help arrange actin stress fibers into thick ventral actin stress fibers. Using fluorescence anisotropy, we observed regional intracellular differences in myosin regulatory light chain phosphorylation in control LFs that were altered by dbn deletion. Using perturbations to induce and then release stalling of NM2 on actin in LFs from both genotypes, we made predictions explaining how DBN interacts with actin and NM2. These studies provide new insight for diseases such as emphysema and pulmonary fibrosis, in which fibroblasts inappropriately respond to mechanical cues in their environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen E McGowan
- Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Iowa City, Iowa
- Department of Medicine, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
| | | | - Mohanish K Chandurkar
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan
| | - Jonathan A Stiber
- Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina; and
| | - Sangyoon J Han
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan
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2
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Flores-Ibarra A, Maia RNA, Olasz B, Church JR, Gotthard G, Schapiro I, Heberle J, Nogly P. Light-Oxygen-Voltage (LOV)-sensing Domains: Activation Mechanism and Optogenetic Stimulation. J Mol Biol 2024; 436:168356. [PMID: 37944792 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2023.168356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2023] [Revised: 10/11/2023] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
The light-oxygen-voltage (LOV) domains of phototropins emerged as essential constituents of light-sensitive proteins, helping initiate blue light-triggered responses. Moreover, these domains have been identified across all kingdoms of life. LOV domains utilize flavin nucleotides as co-factors and undergo structural rearrangements upon exposure to blue light, which activates an effector domain that executes the final output of the photoreaction. LOV domains are versatile photoreceptors that play critical roles in cellular signaling and environmental adaptation; additionally, they can noninvasively sense and control intracellular processes with high spatiotemporal precision, making them ideal candidates for use in optogenetics, where a light signal is linked to a cellular process through a photoreceptor. The ongoing development of LOV-based optogenetic tools, driven by advances in structural biology, spectroscopy, computational methods, and synthetic biology, has the potential to revolutionize the study of biological systems and enable the development of novel therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Flores-Ibarra
- Dioscuri Center for Structural Dynamics of Receptors, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, 30-387 Krakow, Poland
| | - Raiza N A Maia
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Texas at Austin, 78712-1224 Austin, TX, USA
| | - Bence Olasz
- Dioscuri Center for Structural Dynamics of Receptors, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, 30-387 Krakow, Poland
| | - Jonathan R Church
- Institute of Chemistry, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91905 Jerusalem, Israel
| | | | - Igor Schapiro
- Institute of Chemistry, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91905 Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Joachim Heberle
- Department of Physics, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Przemyslaw Nogly
- Dioscuri Center for Structural Dynamics of Receptors, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, 30-387 Krakow, Poland.
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3
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Fernandez-Gonzalez R, Peifer M. Powering morphogenesis: multiscale challenges at the interface of cell adhesion and the cytoskeleton. Mol Biol Cell 2022; 33. [PMID: 35696393 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e21-09-0452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Among the defining features of the animal kingdom is the ability of cells to change shape and move. This underlies embryonic and postembryonic development, tissue homeostasis, regeneration, and wound healing. Cell shape change and motility require linkage of the cell's force-generating machinery to the plasma membrane at cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix junctions. Connections of the actomyosin cytoskeleton to cell-cell adherens junctions need to be both resilient and dynamic, preventing tissue disruption during the dramatic events of embryonic morphogenesis. In the past decade, new insights radically altered the earlier simple paradigm that suggested simple linear linkage via the cadherin-catenin complex as the molecular mechanism of junction-cytoskeleton interaction. In this Perspective we provide a brief overview of our current state of knowledge and then focus on selected examples highlighting what we view as the major unanswered questions in our field and the approaches that offer exciting new insights at multiple scales from atomic structure to tissue mechanics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo Fernandez-Gonzalez
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3G5, Canada.,Translational Biology and Engineering Program, Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3G5, Canada.,Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3G5, Canada.,Developmental and Stem Cell Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada
| | - Mark Peifer
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3280.,Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3280
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4
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Cavanaugh KE, Staddon MF, Chmiel TA, Harmon R, Budnar S, Yap AS, Banerjee S, Gardel ML. Force-dependent intercellular adhesion strengthening underlies asymmetric adherens junction contraction. Curr Biol 2022; 32:1986-2000.e5. [PMID: 35381185 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.03.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2021] [Revised: 01/04/2022] [Accepted: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Tissue morphogenesis arises from the culmination of changes in cell-cell junction length. Mechanochemical signaling in the form of RhoA underlies these ratcheted contractions, which occur asymmetrically. The underlying mechanisms of asymmetry remain unknown. We use optogenetically controlled RhoA in model epithelia together with biophysical modeling to uncover the mechanism lending to asymmetric vertex motion. Using optogenetic and pharmacological approaches, we find that both local and global RhoA activation can drive asymmetric junction contraction in the absence of tissue-scale patterning. We find that standard vertex models with homogeneous junction properties are insufficient to recapitulate the observed junction dynamics. Furthermore, these experiments reveal a local coupling of RhoA activation with E-cadherin accumulation. This motivates a coupling of RhoA-mediated increases in tension and E-cadherin-mediated adhesion strengthening. We then demonstrate that incorporating this force-sensitive adhesion strengthening into a continuum model is successful in capturing the observed junction dynamics. Thus, we find that a force-dependent intercellular "clutch" at tricellular vertices stabilizes vertex motion under increasing tension and is sufficient to generate asymmetries in junction contraction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate E Cavanaugh
- Committee on Development, Regeneration, and Stem Cell Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA; Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, James Franck Institute, Department of Physics, Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Michael F Staddon
- Center for Systems Biology Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany; Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, 01307 Dresden, Germany; Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, 01187 Dresden, Germany
| | - Theresa A Chmiel
- Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, James Franck Institute, Department of Physics, Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Robert Harmon
- Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, James Franck Institute, Department of Physics, Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Srikanth Budnar
- Division of Cell and Developmental Biology, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Alpha S Yap
- Division of Cell and Developmental Biology, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Shiladitya Banerjee
- Department of Physics, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Margaret L Gardel
- Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, James Franck Institute, Department of Physics, Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
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5
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Abstract
Optogenetics combines light and genetics to enable precise control of living cells, tissues, and organisms with tailored functions. Optogenetics has the advantages of noninvasiveness, rapid responsiveness, tunable reversibility, and superior spatiotemporal resolution. Following the initial discovery of microbial opsins as light-actuated ion channels, a plethora of naturally occurring or engineered photoreceptors or photosensitive domains that respond to light at varying wavelengths has ushered in the next chapter of optogenetics. Through protein engineering and synthetic biology approaches, genetically-encoded photoswitches can be modularly engineered into protein scaffolds or host cells to control a myriad of biological processes, as well as to enable behavioral control and disease intervention in vivo. Here, we summarize these optogenetic tools on the basis of their fundamental photochemical properties to better inform the chemical basis and design principles. We also highlight exemplary applications of opsin-free optogenetics in dissecting cellular physiology (designated "optophysiology"), and describe the current progress, as well as future trends, in wireless optogenetics, which enables remote interrogation of physiological processes with minimal invasiveness. This review is anticipated to spark novel thoughts on engineering next-generation optogenetic tools and devices that promise to accelerate both basic and translational studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Tan
- Center for Translational Cancer Research, Institute of Biosciences and Technology, Texas A&M University, Houston, Texas, United States.,Klarman Cell Observatory, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Lian He
- Center for Translational Cancer Research, Institute of Biosciences and Technology, Texas A&M University, Houston, Texas, United States
| | - Yun Huang
- Center for Epigenetics and Disease Prevention, Institute of Biosciences and Technology, Texas A&M University, Houston, TX, United States.,Department of Translational Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University, Houston, Texas, United States
| | - Yubin Zhou
- Center for Translational Cancer Research, Institute of Biosciences and Technology, Texas A&M University, Houston, Texas, United States.,Department of Translational Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University, Houston, Texas, United States
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6
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Schoenit A, Lo Giudice C, Hahnen N, Ollech D, Jahnke K, Göpfrich K, Cavalcanti-Adam EA. Tuning Epithelial Cell-Cell Adhesion and Collective Dynamics with Functional DNA-E-Cadherin Hybrid Linkers. NANO LETTERS 2022; 22:302-310. [PMID: 34939414 PMCID: PMC8759084 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.1c03780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Revised: 12/12/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The binding strength between epithelial cells is crucial for tissue integrity, signal transduction and collective cell dynamics. However, there is no experimental approach to precisely modulate cell-cell adhesion strength at the cellular and molecular level. Here, we establish DNA nanotechnology as a tool to control cell-cell adhesion of epithelial cells. We designed a DNA-E-cadherin hybrid system consisting of complementary DNA strands covalently bound to a truncated E-cadherin with a modified extracellular domain. DNA sequence design allows to tune the DNA-E-cadherin hybrid molecular binding strength, while retaining its cytosolic interactions and downstream signaling capabilities. The DNA-E-cadherin hybrid facilitates strong and reversible cell-cell adhesion in E-cadherin deficient cells by forming mechanotransducive adherens junctions. We assess the direct influence of cell-cell adhesion strength on intracellular signaling and collective cell dynamics. This highlights the scope of DNA nanotechnology as a precision technology to study and engineer cell collectives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Schoenit
- Biophysical
Engineering Group, Max Planck Institute
for Medical Research, Jahnstraße 29, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- Department
of Cellular Biophysics, Growth Factor Mechanobiology Group, Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Jahnstraße 29, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Cristina Lo Giudice
- Department
of Cellular Biophysics, Growth Factor Mechanobiology Group, Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Jahnstraße 29, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Nina Hahnen
- Biophysical
Engineering Group, Max Planck Institute
for Medical Research, Jahnstraße 29, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- Department
of Cellular Biophysics, Growth Factor Mechanobiology Group, Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Jahnstraße 29, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Dirk Ollech
- Department
of Cellular Biophysics, Growth Factor Mechanobiology Group, Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Jahnstraße 29, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Kevin Jahnke
- Biophysical
Engineering Group, Max Planck Institute
for Medical Research, Jahnstraße 29, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- Department
of Physics and Astronomy, Heidelberg University, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Kerstin Göpfrich
- Biophysical
Engineering Group, Max Planck Institute
for Medical Research, Jahnstraße 29, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- Department
of Physics and Astronomy, Heidelberg University, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Elisabetta Ada Cavalcanti-Adam
- Department
of Cellular Biophysics, Growth Factor Mechanobiology Group, Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Jahnstraße 29, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
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7
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Mathony J, Niopek D. Enlightening Allostery: Designing Switchable Proteins by Photoreceptor Fusion. Adv Biol (Weinh) 2020; 5:e2000181. [PMID: 33107225 DOI: 10.1002/adbi.202000181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2020] [Revised: 10/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Optogenetics harnesses natural photoreceptors to non-invasively control selected processes in cells with previously unmet spatiotemporal precision. Linking the activity of a protein of choice to the conformational state of a photosensor domain through allosteric coupling represents a powerful method for engineering light-responsive proteins. It enables the design of compact and highly potent single-component optogenetic systems with fast on- and off-switching kinetics. However, designing protein-photoreceptor chimeras, in which structural changes of the photoreceptor are effectively propagated to the fused effector protein, is a challenging engineering problem and often relies on trial and error. Here, recent advances in the design and application of optogenetic allosteric switches are reviewed. First, an overview of existing optogenetic tools based on inducible allostery is provided and their utility for cell biology applications is highlighted. Focusing on light-oxygen-voltage domains, a widely applied class of small blue light sensors, the available strategies for engineering light-dependent allostery are presented and their individual advantages and limitations are highlighted. Finally, high-throughput screening technologies based on comprehensive insertion libraries, which could accelerate the creation of stimulus-responsive receptor-protein chimeras for use in optogenetics and beyond, are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Mathony
- Department of Biology and Centre for Synthetic Biology, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Schnittspahnstrasse 12, Darmstadt, 64287, Germany.,BZH graduate school, Heidelberg University, Im Neuheimer Feld 328, Heidelberg, 69120, Germany
| | - Dominik Niopek
- Department of Biology and Centre for Synthetic Biology, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Schnittspahnstrasse 12, Darmstadt, 64287, Germany
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8
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Cavanaugh KE, Staddon MF, Banerjee S, Gardel ML. Adaptive viscoelasticity of epithelial cell junctions: from models to methods. Curr Opin Genet Dev 2020; 63:86-94. [PMID: 32604032 PMCID: PMC7483996 DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2020.05.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2020] [Revised: 05/14/2020] [Accepted: 05/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Epithelial morphogenesis relies on constituent cells' ability to finely tune their mechanical properties. Resulting elastic-like and viscous-like behaviors arise from mechanochemical signaling coordinated spatiotemporally at cell-cell interfaces. Direct measurement of junction rheology can mechanistically dissect mechanical deformations and their molecular origins. However, the physical basis of junction viscoelasticity has only recently become experimentally tractable. Pioneering studies have uncovered exciting findings on the nature of contractile forces and junction deformations, inspiring a fundamentally new way of understanding morphogenesis. Here, we discuss novel techniques that directly test junctional mechanics and describe the relevant Vertex Models, and adaptations thereof, capturing these data. We then present the concept of adaptive tissue viscoelasticity, revealed by optogenetic junction manipulation. Finally, we offer future perspectives on this rapidly evolving field describing the material basis of tissue morphogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate E Cavanaugh
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA; Committee on Development, Regeneration and Stem Cell Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Michael F Staddon
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, and Institute for the Physics of Living Systems, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Shiladitya Banerjee
- Department of Physics, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Margaret L Gardel
- Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, University of Chicago, Chicago 60637 IL, USA; James Franck Institute, and Department ofPhysics, University of Chicago, Chicago 60637 IL, USA.
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9
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Abstract
As the crucial non-cellular component of tissues, the extracellular matrix (ECM) provides both physical support and signaling regulation to cells. Some ECM molecules provide a fibrillar environment around cells, while others provide a sheet-like basement membrane scaffold beneath epithelial cells. In this Review, we focus on recent studies investigating the mechanical, biophysical and signaling cues provided to developing tissues by different types of ECM in a variety of developing organisms. In addition, we discuss how the ECM helps to regulate tissue morphology during embryonic development by governing key elements of cell shape, adhesion, migration and differentiation. Summary: This Review discusses our current understanding of how the extracellular matrix helps guide developing tissues by influencing cell adhesion, migration, shape and differentiation, emphasizing the biophysical cues it provides.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A Cruz Walma
- Cell Biology Section, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892-4370, USA
| | - Kenneth M Yamada
- Cell Biology Section, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892-4370, USA
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