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Cervera J, Manzanares JA, Levin M, Mafe S. Oscillatory phenomena in electrophysiological networks: The coupling between cell bioelectricity and transcription. Comput Biol Med 2024; 180:108964. [PMID: 39106669 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2024.108964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2024] [Revised: 07/04/2024] [Accepted: 07/27/2024] [Indexed: 08/09/2024]
Abstract
Morphogenetic regulation during embryogenesis and regeneration rely on information transfer and coordination between different regions. Here, we explore theoretically the coupling between bioelectrical and transcriptional oscillations at the individual cell and multicellular levels. The simulations, based on a set of ion channels and intercellular gap junctions, show that bioelectrical and transcriptional waves can electrophysiologically couple distant regions of a model network in phase and antiphase oscillatory states that include synchronization phenomena. In this way, different multicellular regionalizations can be encoded by cell potentials that oscillate between depolarized and polarized states, thus allowing a spatio-temporal coding. Because the electric potential patterns characteristic of development and regeneration are correlated with the spatial distributions of signaling ions and molecules, bioelectricity can act as a template for slow biochemical signals following a hierarchy of experimental times. In particular, bioelectrical gradients that couple cell potentials to transcription rates give to each single cell a rough idea of its location in the multicellular ensemble, thus controlling local differentiation processes that switch on and off crucial parts of the genome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier Cervera
- Dept. Termodinàmica, Facultat de Física, Universitat de València, 46100, Burjassot, Spain.
| | - José A Manzanares
- Dept. Termodinàmica, Facultat de Física, Universitat de València, 46100, Burjassot, Spain
| | - Michael Levin
- Dept. of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, MA, 02155, USA; Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA, 02155, USA; Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Salvador Mafe
- Dept. Termodinàmica, Facultat de Física, Universitat de València, 46100, Burjassot, Spain; Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA, 02155, USA
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2
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Li J, Xie Y, Liu G, Bahatibieke A, Zhao J, Kang J, Sha J, Zhao F, Zheng Y. Bioelectret Materials and Their Bioelectric Effects for Tissue Repair: A Review. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2024; 16:38852-38879. [PMID: 39041365 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.4c07808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/24/2024]
Abstract
Biophysical and clinical medical studies have confirmed that biological tissue lesions and trauma are related to the damage of an intrinsic electret (i.e., endogenous electric field), such as wound healing, embryonic development, the occurrence of various diseases, immune regulation, tissue regeneration, and cancer metastasis. As exogenous electrical signals, such as conductivity, piezoelectricity, ferroelectricity, and pyroelectricity, bioelectroactives can regulate the endogenous electric field, thus controlling the function of cells and promoting the repair and regeneration of tissues. Materials, once polarized, can harness their inherent polarized static electric fields to generate an electric field through direct stimulation or indirect interactions facilitated by physical signals, such as friction, ultrasound, or mechanical stimulation. The interaction with the biological microenvironment allows for the regulation and compensation of polarized electric signals in damaged tissue microenvironments, leading to tissue regeneration and repair. The technique shows great promise for applications in the field of tissue regeneration. In this paper, the generation and change of the endogenous electric field and the regulation of exogenous electroactive substances are expounded, and the latest research progress of the electret and its biological effects in the field of tissue repair include bone repair, nerve repair, drug penetration promotion, wound healing, etc. Finally, the opportunities and challenges of electret materials in tissue repair were summarized. Exploring the research and development of new polarized materials and the mechanism of regulating endogenous electric field changes may provide new insights and innovative methods for tissue repair and disease treatment in biological applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junfei Li
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Yajie Xie
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Guodong Liu
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Abudureheman Bahatibieke
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Jianming Zhao
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Jia Kang
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Jian Sha
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Feilong Zhao
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Yudong Zheng
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
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Kofman K, Levin M. Bioelectric pharmacology of cancer: A systematic review of ion channel drugs affecting the cancer phenotype. PROGRESS IN BIOPHYSICS AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2024; 191:25-39. [PMID: 38971325 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2024.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2024] [Revised: 05/21/2024] [Accepted: 07/04/2024] [Indexed: 07/08/2024]
Abstract
Cancer is a pernicious and pressing medical problem; moreover, it is a failure of multicellular morphogenesis that sheds much light on evolutionary developmental biology. Numerous classes of pharmacological agents have been considered as cancer therapeutics and evaluated as potential carcinogenic agents; however, these are spread throughout the primary literature. Here, we briefly review recent work on ion channel drugs as promising anti-cancer treatments and present a systematic review of the known cancer-relevant effects of 109 drugs targeting ion channels. The roles of ion channels in cancer are consistent with the importance of bioelectrical parameters in cell regulation and with the functions of bioelectric signaling in morphogenetic signals that act as cancer suppressors. We find that compounds that are well-known for having targets in the nervous system, such as voltage-gated ion channels, ligand-gated ion channels, proton pumps, and gap junctions are especially relevant to cancer. Our review suggests further opportunities for the repurposing of numerous promising candidates in the field of cancer electroceuticals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karina Kofman
- Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Michael Levin
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, USA; Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University, USA.
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Hou X, Ouyang J, Tang L, Wu P, Deng X, Yan Q, Shi L, Fan S, Fan C, Guo C, Liao Q, Li Y, Xiong W, Li G, Zeng Z, Wang F. KCNK1 promotes proliferation and metastasis of breast cancer cells by activating lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA) and up-regulating H3K18 lactylation. PLoS Biol 2024; 22:e3002666. [PMID: 38905316 PMCID: PMC11192366 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2023] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 06/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer is the most prevalent malignancy and the most significant contributor to mortality in female oncology patients. Potassium Two Pore Domain Channel Subfamily K Member 1 (KCNK1) is differentially expressed in a variety of tumors, but the mechanism of its function in breast cancer is unknown. In this study, we found for the first time that KCNK1 was significantly up-regulated in human breast cancer and was correlated with poor prognosis in breast cancer patients. KCNK1 promoted breast cancer proliferation, invasion, and metastasis in vitro and vivo. Further studies unexpectedly revealed that KCNK1 increased the glycolysis and lactate production in breast cancer cells by binding to and activating lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA), which promoted histones lysine lactylation to induce the expression of a series of downstream genes and LDHA itself. Notably, increased expression of LDHA served as a vicious positive feedback to reduce tumor cell stiffness and adhesion, which eventually resulted in the proliferation, invasion, and metastasis of breast cancer. In conclusion, our results suggest that KCNK1 may serve as a potential breast cancer biomarker, and deeper insight into the cancer-promoting mechanism of KCNK1 may uncover a novel therapeutic target for breast cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangchan Hou
- NHC Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Hunan Key Laboratory of Cancer Metabolism, Hunan Cancer Hospital and Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Jiawei Ouyang
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Le Tang
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Pan Wu
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Xiangying Deng
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Qijia Yan
- Department of Pathology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Lei Shi
- Department of Pathology, the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Songqing Fan
- Department of Pathology, the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Chunmei Fan
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Can Guo
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Qianjin Liao
- NHC Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Hunan Key Laboratory of Cancer Metabolism, Hunan Cancer Hospital and Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Yong Li
- Department of Medicine, Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Wei Xiong
- NHC Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Hunan Key Laboratory of Cancer Metabolism, Hunan Cancer Hospital and Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Guiyuan Li
- NHC Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Hunan Key Laboratory of Cancer Metabolism, Hunan Cancer Hospital and Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Zhaoyang Zeng
- NHC Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Hunan Key Laboratory of Cancer Metabolism, Hunan Cancer Hospital and Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Fuyan Wang
- NHC Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Hunan Key Laboratory of Cancer Metabolism, Hunan Cancer Hospital and Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
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Lee WG, Asuelime GE, Asuelime-Smith MBT, Chen SY, Kim ES. Differential RNA Expression Between Metastatic and Primary Neuroblastoma Cells. J Surg Res 2024; 298:240-250. [PMID: 38631173 DOI: 10.1016/j.jss.2024.03.032] [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: 10/18/2023] [Revised: 02/01/2024] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Neuroblastoma (NB) is the most common extra-cranial malignancy in children. Poor survival in high-risk NB is attributed to recurrent metastatic disease. To better study metastatic disease, we used a novel mouse model to investigate differential gene expression between primary tumor cells and metastatic cells. We hypothesized that metastatic NB cells have a different gene expression profile from primary tumor cells and cultured cells. METHODS Using three human NB cell lines (NGP, CHLA255, and SH-SY5Y), orthotopic xenografts were established in immunodeficient nod/scid gamma mice via subcapsular renal injection. Mice were sacrificed and NB cells were isolated from the primary tumor and from sites of metastasis (bone marrow, liver). RNA sequencing, gene set analysis, and pathway analysis were performed to identify differentially expressed genes and molecular pathways in the metastatic cells compared to primary tumor cells. RESULTS There were 266 differentially expressed genes in metastatic tumor cells (bone marrow and liver combined) compared to primary tumor cells. The top upregulated gene was KCNK1 and the top downregulated genes were PDE7B and NEBL. Top upregulated pathways in the metastatic cells were involved in ion transport, cell signaling, and cell proliferation. Top downregulated pathways were involved in DNA synthesis, transcription, and cellular metabolism. CONCLUSIONS In metastatic NB cells, our study identified the upregulation of biologic processes involved in cell cycle regulation, cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Ongoing studies aim to validate downstream translation of these genomic alterations, as well as target these pathways to more effectively suppress and inhibit recurrent metastatic disease in NB.
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Affiliation(s)
- William G Lee
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; Division of Pediatric Surgery, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California
| | - Grace E Asuelime
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
| | | | - Stephanie Y Chen
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; Division of Pediatric Surgery, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California
| | - Eugene S Kim
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; Division of Pediatric Surgery, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California; Department of Surgery, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California.
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Pio-Lopez L, Levin M. Aging as a loss of morphostatic information: A developmental bioelectricity perspective. Ageing Res Rev 2024; 97:102310. [PMID: 38636560 DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2024.102310] [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: 11/05/2023] [Revised: 02/21/2024] [Accepted: 04/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024]
Abstract
Maintaining order at the tissue level is crucial throughout the lifespan, as failure can lead to cancer and an accumulation of molecular and cellular disorders. Perhaps, the most consistent and pervasive result of these failures is aging, which is characterized by the progressive loss of function and decline in the ability to maintain anatomical homeostasis and reproduce. This leads to organ malfunction, diseases, and ultimately death. The traditional understanding of aging is that it is caused by the accumulation of molecular and cellular damage. In this article, we propose a complementary view of aging from the perspective of endogenous bioelectricity which has not yet been integrated into aging research. We propose a view of aging as a morphostasis defect, a loss of biophysical prepattern information, encoding anatomical setpoints used for dynamic tissue and organ homeostasis. We hypothesize that this is specifically driven by abrogation of the endogenous bioelectric signaling that normally harnesses individual cell behaviors toward the creation and upkeep of complex multicellular structures in vivo. Herein, we first describe bioelectricity as the physiological software of life, and then identify and discuss the links between bioelectricity and life extension strategies and age-related diseases. We develop a bridge between aging and regeneration via bioelectric signaling that suggests a research program for healthful longevity via morphoceuticals. Finally, we discuss the broader implications of the homologies between development, aging, cancer and regeneration and how morphoceuticals can be developed for aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Léo Pio-Lopez
- Allen Discovery Center, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA
| | - Michael Levin
- Allen Discovery Center, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA; Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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Balasubramanian S, Weston DA, Levin M, Davidian DCC. Electroceuticals: emerging applications beyond the nervous system and excitable tissues. Trends Pharmacol Sci 2024; 45:391-394. [PMID: 38641490 DOI: 10.1016/j.tips.2024.03.001] [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: 01/11/2024] [Revised: 03/04/2024] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/21/2024]
Abstract
Electroceuticals have evolved beyond devices manipulating neuronal signaling for symptomatic treatment, becoming more precise and disease modulating and expanding beyond the nervous system. These advancements promise transformative applications in arthritis, cancer treatment, tissue regeneration, and more. Here, we discuss these recent advances and offer insights for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Swarnalatha Balasubramanian
- Emerging Innovations Unit, Discovery Sciences, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - David A Weston
- Emerging Innovations Unit, Discovery Sciences, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, UK
| | - Michael Levin
- Allen Discovery Center, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA; Wyss Institute, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
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8
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Tung A, Sperry MM, Clawson W, Pavuluri A, Bulatao S, Yue M, Flores RM, Pai VP, McMillen P, Kuchling F, Levin M. Embryos assist morphogenesis of others through calcium and ATP signaling mechanisms in collective teratogen resistance. Nat Commun 2024; 15:535. [PMID: 38233424 PMCID: PMC10794468 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-44522-2] [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: 12/17/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Information for organismal patterning can come from a variety of sources. We investigate the possibility that instructive influences for normal embryonic development are provided not only at the level of cells within the embryo, but also via interactions between embryos. To explore this, we challenge groups of embryos with disruptors of normal development while varying group size. Here, we show that Xenopus laevis embryos are much more sensitive to a diverse set of chemical and molecular-biological perturbations when allowed to develop alone or in small groups, than in large groups. Keeping per-embryo exposure constant, we find that increasing the number of exposed embryos in a cohort increases the rate of survival while incidence of defects decreases. This inter-embryo assistance effect is mediated by short-range diffusible signals and involves the P2 ATP receptor. Our data and computational model emphasize that morphogenesis is a collective phenomenon not only at the level of cells, but also of whole bodies, and that cohort size is a crucial variable in studies of ecotoxicology, teratogenesis, and developmental plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela Tung
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA, 02155, USA
| | - Megan M Sperry
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA, 02155, USA
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Wesley Clawson
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA, 02155, USA
| | - Ananya Pavuluri
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA, 02155, USA
| | - Sydney Bulatao
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA, 02155, USA
| | - Michelle Yue
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Ramses Martinez Flores
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Vaibhav P Pai
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA, 02155, USA
| | - Patrick McMillen
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA, 02155, USA
| | - Franz Kuchling
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA, 02155, USA
| | - Michael Levin
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA, 02155, USA.
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
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McMillen P, Levin M. Optical Estimation of Bioelectric Patterns in Living Embryos. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2745:91-102. [PMID: 38060181 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3577-3_6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/08/2023]
Abstract
Fluorescent lifetime imaging (FLIM) is a powerful tool for visualizing physiological parameters in vivo. We present here a 3-dye strategy for mapping bioelectric patterns in living Xenopus laevis embryos leveraging the quantitative power of fluorescent lifetime imaging. We discuss a general strategy for disentangling physiological artifacts from true bioelectric signals, a method for dye delivery via transcardial injection, and how to visualize and interpret the fluorescent lifetime of the dyes in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick McMillen
- Department of Biology, Allen Discovery Center, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA
| | - Michael Levin
- Department of Biology, Allen Discovery Center, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA.
- Wyss Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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10
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Wang Y, Wang H, Ding W, Zhao X, Li Y, Liu C. Effect of THz Waves of Different Orientations on K + Permeation Efficiency in the KcsA Channel. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 25:429. [PMID: 38203598 PMCID: PMC10779155 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25010429] [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: 11/23/2023] [Revised: 12/23/2023] [Accepted: 12/26/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Potassium (K) channels show the highest variability and most frequent alterations in expression in many tumor types, and modulation of K+ channels may represent a new window for cancer therapy. In previous work, we found that a terahertz (THz) field incident along the z-axis with a frequency of 51.87 THz increased the ion flux through K+ channels. In practice, it is difficult to ensure that the incident electromagnetic (EM) wave is strictly parallel to the direction of channel ion flow. In this paper, we found by changing the direction of the applied electric field that the EM wave of a specific frequency has the largest ion flux when the incident direction is along the ion flow, and the smallest ion flux when the incident direction is perpendicular to the ion flow, and that overall the EM wave of this frequency enhances the ion flow of the K+ channel. Changes in the direction of the applied field at a specific frequency affect the stability of the φ dihedral angle of the GLY77 residue and alter the ion permeation mechanism in the selectivity filter (SF) region, thus affecting the ion flux. Therefore, this frequency can be used to modulate K+ fluxes by THz waves to cause rapid apoptosis in potassium-overloaded tumor cells. This approach consequently represents an important tool for the treatment of cancer and is expected to be applied in practical therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yize Wang
- Key Laboratory for Physical Electronics and Devices of the Ministry of Education, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China; (Y.W.); (W.D.); (X.Z.); (Y.L.); (C.L.)
- School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
| | - Hongguang Wang
- Key Laboratory for Physical Electronics and Devices of the Ministry of Education, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China; (Y.W.); (W.D.); (X.Z.); (Y.L.); (C.L.)
- School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
| | - Wen Ding
- Key Laboratory for Physical Electronics and Devices of the Ministry of Education, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China; (Y.W.); (W.D.); (X.Z.); (Y.L.); (C.L.)
- School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
| | - Xiaofei Zhao
- Key Laboratory for Physical Electronics and Devices of the Ministry of Education, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China; (Y.W.); (W.D.); (X.Z.); (Y.L.); (C.L.)
- School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
| | - Yongdong Li
- Key Laboratory for Physical Electronics and Devices of the Ministry of Education, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China; (Y.W.); (W.D.); (X.Z.); (Y.L.); (C.L.)
- School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
| | - Chunliang Liu
- Key Laboratory for Physical Electronics and Devices of the Ministry of Education, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China; (Y.W.); (W.D.); (X.Z.); (Y.L.); (C.L.)
- School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
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11
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Li Q, Zhou K, Zhu B, Liu X, Lao J, Gao J, Jiang L. Artificial Sodium Channels for Enhanced Osmotic Energy Harvesting. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:28038-28048. [PMID: 38039312 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c08902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2023]
Abstract
Inspired by the ion channels of electric eels, we can use biomimetic nanofluidic materials to harvest the osmotic power released by mixing seawater and river water. While biological ion channels have both cation/anion and inter-cation selectivity, previous nanofluidic materials neglected the latter. As a result, NaCl solutions were generally used to simulate river water, ignoring the fact that the dominating cation in river water is typically Ca2+. In this work, we show that the different ionic compositions of seawater and river water can be exploited to improve osmotic power density by employing biomimetic sodium selective materials. Inspired by a range of properties of biological sodium channels, we constructed artificial sodium channels with zeolitic imidazolate framework-65 crystals, which selectively transport Na+ but almost completely block Ca2+. Resultantly, the effective concentration gradient of seawater/river water is dramatically increased by preventing the major cations in the river water from participating in the ion diffusion. As a result, the osmotic power density can be increased by more than 1 order of magnitude. These results should open new avenues to develop high-performance osmotic generators and may advance other applications based on biomimetic ion channels such as neuromorphic information processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qi Li
- Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266101, China
- School of Chemical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
| | - Ke Zhou
- College of Energy, Soochow Institute for Energy and Materials InnovationS (SIEMIS), Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory for Advanced Carbon Materials and Wearable Energy Technologies, Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, China
| | - Bin Zhu
- Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266101, China
| | - Xueli Liu
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, Institute of Marine Biobased Materials, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, China
| | - Junchao Lao
- Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266101, China
- Shanghai Key Lab of Advanced High-temperature Materials and Precision Forming and State Key Lab of Metal Matrix Composites, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Jun Gao
- Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266101, China
- Shandong Energy Institute, Qingdao 266101, China
| | - Lei Jiang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Bio-inspired Materials and Interfacial Science, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
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Manicka S, Pai VP, Levin M. Information integration during bioelectric regulation of morphogenesis of the embryonic frog brain. iScience 2023; 26:108398. [PMID: 38034358 PMCID: PMC10687303 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108398] [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: 01/23/2023] [Revised: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Spatiotemporal patterns of cellular resting potential regulate several aspects of development. One key aspect of the bioelectric code is that transcriptional and morphogenetic states are determined not by local, single-cell, voltage levels but by specific distributions of voltage across cell sheets. We constructed and analyzed a minimal dynamical model of collective gene expression in cells based on inputs of multicellular voltage patterns. Causal integration analysis revealed a higher-order mechanism by which information about the voltage pattern was spatiotemporally integrated into gene activity, as well as a division of labor among and between the bioelectric and genetic components. We tested and confirmed predictions of this model in a system in which bioelectric control of morphogenesis regulates gene expression and organogenesis: the embryonic brain of the frog Xenopus laevis. This study demonstrates that machine learning and computational integration approaches can advance our understanding of the information-processing underlying morphogenetic decision-making, with a potential for other applications in developmental biology and regenerative medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Santosh Manicka
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA
| | - Vaibhav P. Pai
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA
| | - Michael Levin
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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13
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Murugan NJ, Cariba S, Abeygunawardena S, Rouleau N, Payne SL. Biophysical control of plasticity and patterning in regeneration and cancer. Cell Mol Life Sci 2023; 81:9. [PMID: 38099951 PMCID: PMC10724343 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-023-05054-6] [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: 08/18/2023] [Revised: 10/12/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023]
Abstract
Cells and tissues display a remarkable range of plasticity and tissue-patterning activities that are emergent of complex signaling dynamics within their microenvironments. These properties, which when operating normally guide embryogenesis and regeneration, become highly disordered in diseases such as cancer. While morphogens and other molecular factors help determine the shapes of tissues and their patterned cellular organization, the parallel contributions of biophysical control mechanisms must be considered to accurately predict and model important processes such as growth, maturation, injury, repair, and senescence. We now know that mechanical, optical, electric, and electromagnetic signals are integral to cellular plasticity and tissue patterning. Because biophysical modalities underly interactions between cells and their extracellular matrices, including cell cycle, metabolism, migration, and differentiation, their applications as tuning dials for regenerative and anti-cancer therapies are being rapidly exploited. Despite this, the importance of cellular communication through biophysical signaling remains disproportionately underrepresented in the literature. Here, we provide a review of biophysical signaling modalities and known mechanisms that initiate, modulate, or inhibit plasticity and tissue patterning in models of regeneration and cancer. We also discuss current approaches in biomedical engineering that harness biophysical control mechanisms to model, characterize, diagnose, and treat disease states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nirosha J Murugan
- Department of Health Sciences, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON, Canada.
- Allen Discovery Center, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA.
| | - Solsa Cariba
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
| | | | - Nicolas Rouleau
- Department of Health Sciences, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON, Canada
- Allen Discovery Center, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA
| | - Samantha L Payne
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
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14
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Mathews J, Levin M. Cancer's unique bioelectric properties: From cells to body-wide networks: Comment on: "The distinguishing electrical properties of cancer cells" by Elisabetta Di Gregorio, Simone Israel, Michael Staelens, Gabriella Tankel, Karthik Shankar, and Jack A. Tuszynski (this issue). Phys Life Rev 2023; 47:113-115. [PMID: 37837910 DOI: 10.1016/j.plrev.2023.09.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 09/13/2023] [Indexed: 10/16/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- J Mathews
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA
| | - M Levin
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA; Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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15
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George LF, Follmer ML, Fontenoy E, Moran HR, Brown JR, Ozekin YH, Bates EA. Endoplasmic Reticulum Calcium Mediates Drosophila Wing Development. Bioelectricity 2023; 5:290-306. [PMID: 38143873 PMCID: PMC10733776 DOI: 10.1089/bioe.2022.0036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The temporal dynamics of morphogen presentation impacts transcriptional responses and tissue patterning. However, the mechanisms controlling morphogen release are far from clear. We found that inwardly rectifying potassium (Irk) channels regulate endogenous transient increases in intracellular calcium and bone morphogenetic protein (BMP/Dpp) release for Drosophila wing development. Inhibition of Irk channels reduces BMP/Dpp signaling, and ultimately disrupts wing morphology. Ion channels impact development of several tissues and organisms in which BMP signaling is essential. In neurons and pancreatic beta cells, Irk channels modulate membrane potential to affect intracellular Ca++ to control secretion of neurotransmitters and insulin. Based on Irk activity in neurons, we hypothesized that electrical activity controls endoplasmic reticulum (ER) Ca++ release into the cytoplasm to regulate the release of BMP. Materials and Methods To test this hypothesis, we reduced expression of four proteins that control ER calcium, Stromal interaction molecule 1 (Stim), Calcium release-activated calcium channel protein 1 (Orai), SarcoEndoplasmic Reticulum Calcium ATPase (SERCA), small conductance calcium-activated potassium channel (SK), and Bestrophin 2 (Best2) using RNAi and documented wing phenotypes. We use live imaging to study calcium and Dpp release within pupal wings and larval wing discs. Additionally, we employed immunohistochemistry to characterize Small Mothers Against Decapentaplegic (SMAD) phosphorylation downstream of the BMP/Dpp pathway following RNAi knockdown. Results We found that reduced Stim and SERCA function decreases amplitude and frequency of endogenous calcium transients in the wing disc and reduced BMP/Dpp release. Conclusion Our results suggest control of ER calcium homeostasis is required for BMP/Dpp release, and Drosophila wing development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Faith George
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Mikaela Lynn Follmer
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Emily Fontenoy
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Hannah Rose Moran
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Jeremy Ryan Brown
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Yunus H. Ozekin
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Emily Anne Bates
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
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Dupuy M, Gueguinou M, Potier-Cartereau M, Lézot F, Papin M, Chantôme A, Rédini F, Vandier C, Verrecchia F. SK Ca- and Kv1-type potassium channels and cancer: Promising therapeutic targets? Biochem Pharmacol 2023; 216:115774. [PMID: 37678626 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2023.115774] [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: 06/28/2023] [Revised: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023]
Abstract
Ion channels are transmembrane structures that allow the passage of ions across cell membranes such as the plasma membrane or the membranes of various organelles like the nucleus, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus or mitochondria. Aberrant expression of various ion channels has been demonstrated in several tumor cells, leading to the promotion of key functions in tumor development, such as cell proliferation, resistance to apoptosis, angiogenesis, invasion and metastasis. The link between ion channels and these key biological functions that promote tumor development has led to the classification of cancers as oncochannelopathies. Among all ion channels, the most varied and numerous, forming the largest family, are the potassium channels, with over 70 genes encoding them in humans. In this context, this review will provide a non-exhaustive overview of the role of plasma membrane potassium channels in cancer, describing 1) the nomenclature and structure of potassium channels, 2) the role of these channels in the control of biological functions that promotes tumor development such as proliferation, migration and cell death, and 3) the role of two particular classes of potassium channels, the SKCa- and Kv1- type potassium channels in cancer progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maryne Dupuy
- Nantes Université, Inserm UMR 1307, CNRS UMR 6075, Université d'Angers, CRCI2NA, F-44000 Nantes, France.
| | | | | | - Frédéric Lézot
- Sorbonne University, INSERM UMR933, Hôpital Trousseau (AP-HP), Paris F-75012, France
| | - Marion Papin
- N2C UMR 1069, University of Tours, INSERM, Tours, France
| | | | - Françoise Rédini
- Nantes Université, Inserm UMR 1307, CNRS UMR 6075, Université d'Angers, CRCI2NA, F-44000 Nantes, France
| | | | - Franck Verrecchia
- Nantes Université, Inserm UMR 1307, CNRS UMR 6075, Université d'Angers, CRCI2NA, F-44000 Nantes, France.
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17
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Lu Y, Liu Y, Lan J, Chan YT, Feng Z, Huang L, Wang N, Pan W, Feng Y. Thioredoxin-interacting protein-activated intracellular potassium deprivation mediates the anti-tumour effect of a novel histone acetylation inhibitor HL23, a fangchinoline derivative, in human hepatocellular carcinoma. J Adv Res 2023; 51:181-196. [PMID: 36351536 PMCID: PMC10491973 DOI: 10.1016/j.jare.2022.10.017] [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: 07/25/2022] [Revised: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Hyperactivated histone deacetylases (HDACs) act as epigenetic repressors on gene transcription and are frequently observed in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Although multiple pharmacological HDAC inhibitors (HDACis) have been developed, none is available in human HCC. OBJECTIVES To investigate the pharmacological effects of a fangchinoline derivative HL23, as a novel HDACi and its molecular mechanisms through TXNIP-mediated potassium deprivation in HCC. METHODS Both in vitro assays and orthotopic HCC mouse models were used to investigate the effects of HL23 in this study. The inhibitory activity of HL23 on HDACs was evaluated by in silico studies and cellular assays. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) was conducted to confirm the regulation of HL23 on acetylation mark at TXNIP promoter. Genome-wide transcriptome analysis together with bioinformatic analysis were conducted to identify the regulatory mechanisms of HL23. The clinical significance of TXNIP and HDACs was evaluated by analysing publicly available database. RESULTS HL23 exerted compatible HDACs inhibition potency as Vorinostat (SAHA) while had superior anti-HCC effects than SAHA and sorafenib. Both in vitro and in vivo studies showed HL23 significantly suppressed HCC progression and metastasis. HL23 significantly upregulated TXNIP expression via regulating acetylation mark (H3K9ac) at TXNIP promoter. TXNIP was responsible for anti-HCC activity of HL23 through mediating potassium channel activity. HDAC1 was predicted to be the target of HL23 and HDAC1lowTXNIPhigh could jointly predict promising survival outcome of patients with HCC. Combination treatment with HL23 and sorafenib could significantly enhance sorafenib efficacy. CONCLUSION Our study identified HL23 as a novel HDACi through enhancing acetylation at TXNIP promoter to trigger TXNIP-dependent potassium deprivation and enhance sorafenib efficacy in HCC treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanjun Lu
- School of Chinese Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong
| | - Yazhou Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Functions and Applications of Medicinal Plants, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550014, China; The Key Laboratory of Chemistry for Natural Products of Guizhou Province and Chinese Academy of Science, Guiyang 550014, China; Natural Products Research Centre, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Junjie Lan
- State Key Laboratory of Functions and Applications of Medicinal Plants, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550014, China; The Key Laboratory of Chemistry for Natural Products of Guizhou Province and Chinese Academy of Science, Guiyang 550014, China
| | - Yau-Tuen Chan
- School of Chinese Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong
| | - Zixin Feng
- School of Chinese Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong
| | - Lan Huang
- School of Chinese Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong
| | - Ning Wang
- School of Chinese Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong.
| | - Weidong Pan
- State Key Laboratory of Functions and Applications of Medicinal Plants, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550014, China; The Key Laboratory of Chemistry for Natural Products of Guizhou Province and Chinese Academy of Science, Guiyang 550014, China.
| | - Yibin Feng
- School of Chinese Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong.
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18
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Lagasse E, Levin M. Future medicine: from molecular pathways to the collective intelligence of the body. Trends Mol Med 2023; 29:687-710. [PMID: 37481382 PMCID: PMC10527237 DOI: 10.1016/j.molmed.2023.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2023] [Revised: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/24/2023]
Abstract
The remarkable anatomical homeostasis exhibited by complex living organisms suggests that they are inherently reprogrammable information-processing systems that offer numerous interfaces to their physiological and anatomical problem-solving capacities. We briefly review data suggesting that the multiscale competency of living forms affords a new path for biomedicine that exploits the innate collective intelligence of tissues and organs. The concept of tissue-level allostatic goal-directedness is already bearing fruit in clinical practice. We sketch a roadmap towards 'somatic psychiatry' by using advances in bioelectricity and behavioral neuroscience to design methods that induce self-repair of structure and function. Relaxing the assumption that cellular control mechanisms are static, exploiting powerful concepts from cybernetics, behavioral science, and developmental biology may spark definitive solutions to current biomedical challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Lagasse
- McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine and Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Michael Levin
- Allen Discovery Center, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA; Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA.
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19
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Grasso G, Colella F, Forciniti S, Onesto V, Iuele H, Siciliano AC, Carnevali F, Chandra A, Gigli G, Del Mercato LL. Fluorescent nano- and microparticles for sensing cellular microenvironment: past, present and future applications. NANOSCALE ADVANCES 2023; 5:4311-4336. [PMID: 37638162 PMCID: PMC10448310 DOI: 10.1039/d3na00218g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023]
Abstract
The tumor microenvironment (TME) demonstrates distinct hallmarks, including acidosis, hypoxia, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, and altered ion fluxes, which are crucial targets for early cancer biomarker detection, tumor diagnosis, and therapeutic strategies. Various imaging and sensing techniques have been developed and employed in both research and clinical settings to visualize and monitor cellular and TME dynamics. Among these, ratiometric fluorescence-based sensors have emerged as powerful analytical tools, providing precise and sensitive insights into TME and enabling real-time detection and tracking of dynamic changes. In this comprehensive review, we discuss the latest advancements in ratiometric fluorescent probes designed for the optical mapping of pH, oxygen, ROS, ions, and biomarkers within the TME. We elucidate their structural designs and sensing mechanisms as well as their applications in in vitro and in vivo detection. Furthermore, we explore integrated sensing platforms that reveal the spatiotemporal behavior of complex tumor cultures, highlighting the potential of high-resolution imaging techniques combined with computational methods. This review aims to provide a solid foundation for understanding the current state of the art and the future potential of fluorescent nano- and microparticles in the field of cellular microenvironment sensing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuliana Grasso
- Institute of Nanotechnology, National Research Council (CNR-NANOTEC) c/o Campus Ecotekne, via Monteroni 73100 Lecce Italy
| | - Francesco Colella
- Institute of Nanotechnology, National Research Council (CNR-NANOTEC) c/o Campus Ecotekne, via Monteroni 73100 Lecce Italy
- Department of Mathematics and Physics ''Ennio De Giorgi", University of Salento c/o Campus Ecotekne, via Monteroni 73100 Lecce Italy
| | - Stefania Forciniti
- Institute of Nanotechnology, National Research Council (CNR-NANOTEC) c/o Campus Ecotekne, via Monteroni 73100 Lecce Italy
| | - Valentina Onesto
- Institute of Nanotechnology, National Research Council (CNR-NANOTEC) c/o Campus Ecotekne, via Monteroni 73100 Lecce Italy
| | - Helena Iuele
- Institute of Nanotechnology, National Research Council (CNR-NANOTEC) c/o Campus Ecotekne, via Monteroni 73100 Lecce Italy
| | - Anna Chiara Siciliano
- Institute of Nanotechnology, National Research Council (CNR-NANOTEC) c/o Campus Ecotekne, via Monteroni 73100 Lecce Italy
- Department of Mathematics and Physics ''Ennio De Giorgi", University of Salento c/o Campus Ecotekne, via Monteroni 73100 Lecce Italy
| | - Federica Carnevali
- Institute of Nanotechnology, National Research Council (CNR-NANOTEC) c/o Campus Ecotekne, via Monteroni 73100 Lecce Italy
- Department of Mathematics and Physics ''Ennio De Giorgi", University of Salento c/o Campus Ecotekne, via Monteroni 73100 Lecce Italy
| | - Anil Chandra
- Centre for Research in Pure and Applied Sciences, Jain (Deemed-to-be-university) Bangalore Karnataka 560078 India
| | - Giuseppe Gigli
- Institute of Nanotechnology, National Research Council (CNR-NANOTEC) c/o Campus Ecotekne, via Monteroni 73100 Lecce Italy
- Department of Mathematics and Physics ''Ennio De Giorgi", University of Salento c/o Campus Ecotekne, via Monteroni 73100 Lecce Italy
| | - Loretta L Del Mercato
- Institute of Nanotechnology, National Research Council (CNR-NANOTEC) c/o Campus Ecotekne, via Monteroni 73100 Lecce Italy
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20
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Pio-Lopez L, Bischof J, LaPalme JV, Levin M. The scaling of goals from cellular to anatomical homeostasis: an evolutionary simulation, experiment and analysis. Interface Focus 2023; 13:20220072. [PMID: 37065270 PMCID: PMC10102734 DOI: 10.1098/rsfs.2022.0072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 04/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Complex living agents consist of cells, which are themselves competent sub-agents navigating physiological and metabolic spaces. Behaviour science, evolutionary developmental biology and the field of machine intelligence all seek to understand the scaling of biological cognition: what enables individual cells to integrate their activities to result in the emergence of a novel, higher-level intelligence with large-scale goals and competencies that belong to it and not to its parts? Here, we report the results of simulations based on the TAME framework, which proposes that evolution pivoted the collective intelligence of cells during morphogenesis of the body into traditional behavioural intelligence by scaling up homeostatic competencies of cells in metabolic space. In this article, we created a minimal in silico system (two-dimensional neural cellular automata) and tested the hypothesis that evolutionary dynamics are sufficient for low-level setpoints of metabolic homeostasis in individual cells to scale up to tissue-level emergent behaviour. Our system showed the evolution of the much more complex setpoints of cell collectives (tissues) that solve a problem in morphospace: the organization of a body-wide positional information axis (the classic French flag problem in developmental biology). We found that these emergent morphogenetic agents exhibit a number of predicted features, including the use of stress propagation dynamics to achieve the target morphology as well as the ability to recover from perturbation (robustness) and long-term stability (even though neither of these was directly selected for). Moreover, we observed an unexpected behaviour of sudden remodelling long after the system stabilizes. We tested this prediction in a biological system-regenerating planaria-and observed a very similar phenomenon. We propose that this system is a first step towards a quantitative understanding of how evolution scales minimal goal-directed behaviour (homeostatic loops) into higher-level problem-solving agents in morphogenetic and other spaces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Léo Pio-Lopez
- Allen Discovery Center, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA
| | | | | | - Michael Levin
- Allen Discovery Center, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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21
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Mathews J, Chang A(J, Devlin L, Levin M. Cellular signaling pathways as plastic, proto-cognitive systems: Implications for biomedicine. PATTERNS (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2023; 4:100737. [PMID: 37223267 PMCID: PMC10201306 DOI: 10.1016/j.patter.2023.100737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Many aspects of health and disease are modeled using the abstraction of a "pathway"-a set of protein or other subcellular activities with specified functional linkages between them. This metaphor is a paradigmatic case of a deterministic, mechanistic framework that focuses biomedical intervention strategies on altering the members of this network or the up-/down-regulation links between them-rewiring the molecular hardware. However, protein pathways and transcriptional networks exhibit interesting and unexpected capabilities such as trainability (memory) and information processing in a context-sensitive manner. Specifically, they may be amenable to manipulation via their history of stimuli (equivalent to experiences in behavioral science). If true, this would enable a new class of biomedical interventions that target aspects of the dynamic physiological "software" implemented by pathways and gene-regulatory networks. Here, we briefly review clinical and laboratory data that show how high-level cognitive inputs and mechanistic pathway modulation interact to determine outcomes in vivo. Further, we propose an expanded view of pathways from the perspective of basal cognition and argue that a broader understanding of pathways and how they process contextual information across scales will catalyze progress in many areas of physiology and neurobiology. We argue that this fuller understanding of the functionality and tractability of pathways must go beyond a focus on the mechanistic details of protein and drug structure to encompass their physiological history as well as their embedding within higher levels of organization in the organism, with numerous implications for data science addressing health and disease. Exploiting tools and concepts from behavioral and cognitive sciences to explore a proto-cognitive metaphor for the pathways underlying health and disease is more than a philosophical stance on biochemical processes; at stake is a new roadmap for overcoming the limitations of today's pharmacological strategies and for inferring future therapeutic interventions for a wide range of disease states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juanita Mathews
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA
| | | | - Liam Devlin
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA
| | - Michael Levin
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
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22
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Andersson J, Kleinheinz D, Ramach U, Kiesenhofer N, Ashenden A, Valtiner M, Holt S, Koeper I, Schmidpeter PAM, Knoll W. Native Function of the Bacterial Ion Channel SthK in a Sparsely Tethered Lipid Bilayer Membrane Architecture. J Phys Chem B 2023; 127:3641-3650. [PMID: 37072125 PMCID: PMC10150356 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c07252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/20/2023]
Abstract
The plasma membrane protects the interiors of cells from their surroundings and also plays a critical role in communication, sensing, and nutrient import. As a result, the cell membrane and its constituents are among the most important drug targets. Studying the cell membrane and the processes it facilitates is therefore crucial, but it is a highly complex environment that is difficult to access experimentally. Various model membrane systems have been developed to provide an environment in which membrane proteins can be studied in isolation. Among them, tethered bilayer lipid membranes (tBLMs) are a promising model system providing a solvent-free membrane environment which can be prepared by self-assembly, is resistant to mechanical disturbances and has a high electrical resistance. tBLMs are therefore uniquely suitable to study ion channels and charge transport processes. However, ion channels are often large, complex, multimeric structures and their function requires a particular lipid environment. In this paper, we show that SthK, a bacterial cyclic nucleotide gated (CNG) ion channel that is strongly dependent on the surrounding lipid composition, functions normally when embedded into a sparsely tethered lipid bilayer. As SthK has been very well characterized in terms of structure and function, it is well-suited to demonstrate the utility of tethered membrane systems. A model membrane system suitable for studying CNG ion channels would be useful, as this type of ion channel performs a wide range of physiological functions in bacteria, plants, and mammals and is therefore of fundamental scientific interest as well as being highly relevant to medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jakob Andersson
- Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH, Giefinggasse 4, 1210 Vienna, Austria
| | - David Kleinheinz
- Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH, Giefinggasse 4, 1210 Vienna, Austria
| | - Ulrich Ramach
- Technische Universität Wien, Wiedner Hauptstr. 8-10/134, 1040 Wien, Austria
- CEST Kompetenzzentrum für Oberflächentechnologie, Viktor Kaplan-Straße 2, 2700 Wiener Neustadt, Austria
| | | | - Alex Ashenden
- Flinders University of South Australia, Bedford Park SA, 5042 Adelaide, Australia
| | - Markus Valtiner
- Technische Universität Wien, Wiedner Hauptstr. 8-10/134, 1040 Wien, Austria
- CEST Kompetenzzentrum für Oberflächentechnologie, Viktor Kaplan-Straße 2, 2700 Wiener Neustadt, Austria
| | - Stephen Holt
- Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization, New Illawarra Rd, Lucas Heights, NSW 2234, Australia
| | - Ingo Koeper
- Flinders University of South Australia, Bedford Park SA, 5042 Adelaide, Australia
| | - Philipp A M Schmidpeter
- Weill Cornell Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology, 1300 York Avenue, New York, New York 10065, United States
| | - Wolfgang Knoll
- Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH, Giefinggasse 4, 1210 Vienna, Austria
- Danube Private University, Steiner Landstraße 124, 3500 Krems an der Donau, Austria
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23
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Haim-Abadi G, Golan-Lev T, Koren A, Benvenisty N. Generation, genomic characterization, and differentiation of triploid human embryonic stem cells. Stem Cell Reports 2023; 18:1049-1060. [PMID: 37116485 DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2023.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Revised: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 04/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Humans are diploid organisms, and triploidy in human embryos is responsible for ∼10% of spontaneous miscarriages. Surprisingly, some pregnancies proceed to triploid newborns that suffer from many neuro-developmental disorders. To investigate the impact of triploidy on human development, we generate triploid human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) by fusing isogenic haploid and diploid hESCs. Comparison of the transcriptome, methylome, and genome-wide replication timing shows general similarity between diploid and triploid hESCs. However, triploid cells have a larger volume than diploid cells, demonstrating decreased surface-area-to-volume ratio. This leads to a significant downregulation of cell surface ion channel genes, which are more essential in neural progenitors than in undifferentiated cells, leading to inhibition of differentiation, and it affects the neuronal differentiation ability of triploid hESCs, both in vitro and in vivo. Notably, our research establishes a platform to study triploidy in humans and points to their pathology as observed in triploid embryos.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guy Haim-Abadi
- The Azrieli Center for Stem Cells and Genetic Research, Department of Genetics, Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
| | - Tamar Golan-Lev
- The Azrieli Center for Stem Cells and Genetic Research, Department of Genetics, Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
| | - Amnon Koren
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Nissim Benvenisty
- The Azrieli Center for Stem Cells and Genetic Research, Department of Genetics, Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem 91904, Israel.
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Pio-Lopez L, Levin M. Morphoceuticals: perspectives for discovery of drugs targeting anatomical control mechanisms in regenerative medicine, cancer and aging. Drug Discov Today 2023; 28:103585. [PMID: 37059328 DOI: 10.1016/j.drudis.2023.103585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2022] [Revised: 03/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/06/2023] [Indexed: 04/16/2023]
Abstract
Morphoceuticals are a new class of interventions that target the setpoints of anatomical homeostasis for efficient, modular control of growth and form. Here, we focus on a subclass: electroceuticals, which specifically target the cellular bioelectrical interface. Cellular collectives in all tissues form bioelectrical networks via ion channels and gap junctions that process morphogenetic information, controlling gene expression and allowing cell networks to adaptively and dynamically control growth and pattern formation. Recent progress in understanding this physiological control system, including predictive computational models, suggests that targeting bioelectrical interfaces can control embryogenesis and maintain shape against injury, senescence and tumorigenesis. We propose a roadmap for drug discovery focused on manipulating endogenous bioelectric signaling for regenerative medicine, cancer suppression and antiaging therapeutics. Teaser: By taking advantage of the native problem-solving competencies of cells and tissues, a new kind of top-down approach to biomedicine becomes possible. Bioelectricity offers an especially tractable interface for interventions targeting the software of life for regenerative medicine applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Léo Pio-Lopez
- Allen Discovery Center, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA
| | - Michael Levin
- Allen Discovery Center, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA; Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
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25
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Man Q, Gao Z, Chen K. Functional Potassium Channels in Macrophages. J Membr Biol 2023; 256:175-187. [PMID: 36622407 DOI: 10.1007/s00232-022-00276-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2022] [Accepted: 12/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Macrophages are the predominant component of innate immunity, which is an important protective barrier of our body. Macrophages are present in all organs and tissues of the body, their main functions include immune surveillance, bacterial killing, tissue remodeling and repair, and clearance of cell debris. In addition, macrophages can present antigens to T cells and facilitate inflammatory response by releasing cytokines. Macrophages are of high concern due to their crucial roles in multiple physiological processes. In recent years, new advances are emerging after great efforts have been made to explore the mechanisms of macrophage activation. Ion channel is a class of multimeric transmembrane protein that allows specific ions to go through cell membrane. The flow of ions through ion channel between inside and outside of cell membrane is required for maintaining cell morphology and intracellular signal transduction. Expressions of various ion channels in macrophages have been detected. The roles of ion channels in macrophage activation are gradually caught attention. K+ channels are the most studied channels in immune system. However, very few of published papers reviewed the studies of K+ channels on macrophages. Here, we will review the four types of K+ channels that are expressed in macrophages: voltage-gated K+ channel, calcium-activated K+ channel, inwardly rectifying K+ channel and two-pore domain K+ channel.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiaoyan Man
- Department of Pharmacology, Ningbo University School of Medicine, A506, Wang Changlai Building818 Fenghua Rd, Ningbo, China
| | - Zhe Gao
- Ningbo Institute of Medical Sciences, 42 Yangshan Rd, Ningbo, China.
| | - Kuihao Chen
- Department of Pharmacology, Ningbo University School of Medicine, A506, Wang Changlai Building818 Fenghua Rd, Ningbo, China.
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26
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Shreesha L, Levin M. Cellular Competency during Development Alters Evolutionary Dynamics in an Artificial Embryogeny Model. ENTROPY (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 25:e25010131. [PMID: 36673272 PMCID: PMC9858125 DOI: 10.3390/e25010131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2022] [Revised: 12/23/2022] [Accepted: 12/29/2022] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Biological genotypes do not code directly for phenotypes; developmental physiology is the control layer that separates genomes from capacities ascertained by selection. A key aspect is cellular competency, since cells are not passive materials but descendants of unicellular organisms with complex context-sensitive behavioral capabilities. To probe the effects of different degrees of cellular competency on evolutionary dynamics, we used an evolutionary simulation in the context of minimal artificial embryogeny. Virtual embryos consisted of a single axis of positional information values provided by cells' 'structural genes', operated upon by an evolutionary cycle in which embryos' fitness was proportional to monotonicity of the axial gradient. Evolutionary dynamics were evaluated in two modes: hardwired development (genotype directly encodes phenotype), and a more realistic mode in which cells interact prior to evaluation by the fitness function ("regulative" development). We find that even minimal ability of cells with to improve their position in the embryo results in better performance of the evolutionary search. Crucially, we observed that increasing the behavioral competency masks the raw fitness encoded by structural genes, with selection favoring improvements to its developmental problem-solving capacities over improvements to its structural genome. This suggests the existence of a powerful ratchet mechanism: evolution progressively becomes locked in to improvements in the intelligence of its agential substrate, with reduced pressure on the structural genome. This kind of feedback loop in which evolution increasingly puts more effort into the developmental software than perfecting the hardware explains the very puzzling divergence of genome from anatomy in species like planaria. In addition, it identifies a possible driver for scaling intelligence over evolutionary time, and suggests strategies for engineering novel systems in silico and in bioengineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lakshwin Shreesha
- UFR Fundamental and Biomedical Sciences, Université Paris Cité, 75006 Paris, France
| | - Michael Levin
- Allen Discovery Center, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA
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27
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Identification of KCNK1 as a potential prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target of breast cancer. Pathol Res Pract 2023; 241:154286. [PMID: 36566598 DOI: 10.1016/j.prp.2022.154286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Revised: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 12/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Breast cancer is the most common malignant cancer and is the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths among females worldwide. Thus, it warrants the urgent development of new therapeutic targets and strategies. Potassium channels are aberrantly expressed in various tumors and are related to tumor progression. However, studies on potassium channels in breast cancer remain limited. METHOD First, The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) were used to screen the differentially expressed potassium channels in breast cancer. Several other databases were utilized for further data analysis and visualization, including Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis 2 (GEPIA2), Human Protein Atlas (HPA), GeneMANIA, Tumor Immune Estimation Resource 2 (TIMER2), Catalog of Somatic Mutations in Cancer (COSMIC), cBioPortal, and UCSC Xena tool. Besides, cell proliferation was detected by cell counting kit-8 (CCK8) and 5-Ethynyl-20-deoxyuridine (EdU), and cell migration was detected by wound healing and Transwell assays after knocking down KCNK1. Furthermore, the effect of KCNK1 knockdown on the sensitivity of breast cancer cells to paclitaxel was also evaluated. RESULT KCNK1 was overexpressed in breast cancer. Higher KCNK1 expression predicted an unfavorable prognosis. Moreover, the abnormal expression of KCNK1 was attributed to promoter hypomethylation of KCNK1 in breast cancer. Besides, cell proliferation and migration were significantly inhibited post-KCNK1 silencing, while KCNK1 knockdown significantly increased breast cancer cell sensitivity to paclitaxel. CONCLUSION Taken together, our findings demonstrated that KCNK1 is a potential prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target of breast cancer. Thus, targeting KCNK1 might help synergize with paclitaxel function in breast cancer treatment.
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Role of the Ca2+ channel α2δ-1 auxiliary subunit in proliferation and migration of human glioblastoma cells. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0279186. [PMID: 36520928 PMCID: PMC9754164 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0279186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2022] [Accepted: 12/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The overexpression of α2δ-1 is related to the development and degree of malignancy of diverse types of cancer. This protein is an auxiliary subunit of voltage-gated Ca2+ (CaV) channels, whose expression favors the trafficking of the main pore-forming subunit of the channel complex (α1) to the plasma membrane, thereby generating an increase in Ca2+ entry. Interestingly, TLR-4, a protein belonging to the family of toll-like receptors that participate in the inflammatory response and the transcription factor Sp1, have been linked to the progression of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Therefore, this report aimed to evaluate the role of the α2δ-1 subunit in the progression of GBM and investigate whether Sp1 regulates its expression after the activation of TLR-4. To this end, the expression of α2δ-1, TLR-4, and Sp1 was assessed in the U87 human glioblastoma cell line, and proliferation and migration assays were conducted using different agonists and antagonists. The actions of α2δ-1 were also investigated using overexpression and knockdown strategies. Initial luciferase assays and Western blot analyses showed that the activation of TLR-4 favors the transcription and expression of α2δ-1, which promoted the proliferation and migration of the U87 cells. Consistent with this, overexpression of α2δ-1, Sp1, and TLR-4 increased cell proliferation and migration, while their knockdown with specific siRNAs abrogated these actions. Our data also suggest that TLR-4-mediated regulation of α2δ-1 expression occurs through the NF-kB signaling pathway. Together, these findings strongly suggest that the activation of TLR-4 increases the expression of α2δ-1 in U87 cells, favoring their proliferative and migratory potential, which might eventually provide a theoretical basis to examine novel biomarkers and molecular targets for the diagnosis and treatment of GBM.
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29
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Aberrant inactivation of SCNN1G promotes the motility of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Pathol Res Pract 2022; 240:154175. [DOI: 10.1016/j.prp.2022.154175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2022] [Revised: 10/08/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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30
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Hazan H, Levin M. Exploring the Behavior of Bioelectric Circuits Using Evolution Heuristic Search. Bioelectricity 2022. [DOI: 10.1089/bioe.2022.0033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Hananel Hazan
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Michael Levin
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts, USA
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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31
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Pio-Lopez L, Kuchling F, Tung A, Pezzulo G, Levin M. Active inference, morphogenesis, and computational psychiatry. Front Comput Neurosci 2022; 16:988977. [PMID: 36507307 PMCID: PMC9731232 DOI: 10.3389/fncom.2022.988977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Active inference is a leading theory in neuroscience that provides a simple and neuro-biologically plausible account of how action and perception are coupled in producing (Bayes) optimal behavior; and has been recently used to explain a variety of psychopathological conditions. In parallel, morphogenesis has been described as the behavior of a (non-neural) cellular collective intelligence solving problems in anatomical morphospace. In this article, we establish a link between the domains of cell biology and neuroscience, by analyzing disorders of morphogenesis as disorders of (active) inference. The aim of this article is three-fold. We want to: (i) reveal a connection between disorders of morphogenesis and disorders of active inference as apparent in psychopathological conditions; (ii) show how disorders of morphogenesis can be simulated using active inference; (iii) suggest that active inference can shed light on developmental defects or aberrant morphogenetic processes, seen as disorders of information processing, and perhaps suggesting novel intervention and repair strategies. We present four simulations illustrating application of these ideas to cellular behavior during morphogenesis. Three of the simulations show that the same forms of aberrant active inference (e.g., deficits of sensory attenuation and low sensory precision) that have been used to explain psychopathological conditions (e.g., schizophrenia and autism) also produce familiar disorders of development and morphogenesis when implemented at the level of the collective behavior of a group of cells. The fourth simulation involves two cells with too high precision, in which we show that the reduction of concentration signaling and sensitivity to the signals of other cells treats the development defect. Finally, we present the results of an experimental test of one of the model's predictions in early Xenopus laevis embryos: thioridazine (a dopamine antagonist that may reduce sensory precision in biological systems) induced developmental (anatomical) defects as predicted. The use of conceptual and empirical tools from neuroscience to understand the morphogenetic behavior of pre-neural agents offers the possibility of new approaches in regenerative medicine and evolutionary developmental biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Léo Pio-Lopez
- Allen Discovery Center, Tufts University, Medford, MA, United States
| | - Franz Kuchling
- Allen Discovery Center, Tufts University, Medford, MA, United States
| | - Angela Tung
- Allen Discovery Center, Tufts University, Medford, MA, United States
| | - Giovanni Pezzulo
- Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, National Research Council, Rome, Italy
| | - Michael Levin
- Allen Discovery Center, Tufts University, Medford, MA, United States,Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, United States,*Correspondence: Michael Levin
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Yao M, Tijore A, Cheng D, Li JV, Hariharan A, Martinac B, Tran Van Nhieu G, Cox CD, Sheetz M. Force- and cell state-dependent recruitment of Piezo1 drives focal adhesion dynamics and calcium entry. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabo1461. [PMID: 36351022 PMCID: PMC9645726 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abo1461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Mechanosensing is an integral part of many physiological processes including stem cell differentiation, fibrosis, and cancer progression. Two major mechanosensing systems-focal adhesions and mechanosensitive ion channels-can convert mechanical features of the microenvironment into biochemical signals. We report here unexpectedly that the mechanosensitive calcium-permeable channel Piezo1, previously perceived to be diffusive on plasma membranes, binds to matrix adhesions in a force-dependent manner, promoting cell spreading, adhesion dynamics, and calcium entry in normal but not in most cancer cells tested except some glioblastoma lines. A linker domain in Piezo1 is needed for binding to adhesions, and overexpression of the domain blocks Piezo1 binding to adhesions, decreasing adhesion size and cell spread area. Thus, we suggest that Piezo1 is a previously unidentified component of focal adhesions in nontransformed cells that catalyzes adhesion maturation and growth through force-dependent calcium signaling, but this function is absent in most cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingxi Yao
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Advanced Biomaterials, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
- Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117411
- Corresponding author. (M.Y); (C.C.); (M.S.)
| | - Ajay Tijore
- Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117411
- Center for Biosystems Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
| | - Delfine Cheng
- Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Sydney NSW 2010, Australia
| | - Jinyuan Vero Li
- Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Sydney NSW 2010, Australia
| | - Anushya Hariharan
- Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117411
| | - Boris Martinac
- Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Sydney NSW 2010, Australia
| | - Guy Tran Van Nhieu
- Ecole Normale Supérieure Paris-Saclay Gif-sur-Yvette, France
- Team Ca Signaling and Microbial Infections, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell–CNRS UMR9198–Inserm U1280, 1, Avenue de la Terrasse, 91190 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Charles D. Cox
- Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Sydney NSW 2010, Australia
- Corresponding author. (M.Y); (C.C.); (M.S.)
| | - Michael Sheetz
- Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117411
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117558
- Molecular MechanoMedicine Program, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
- Corresponding author. (M.Y); (C.C.); (M.S.)
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33
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Tan Y, Hu X, Hou Y, Chu Z. Emerging Diamond Quantum Sensing in Bio-Membranes. MEMBRANES 2022; 12:957. [PMID: 36295716 PMCID: PMC9609316 DOI: 10.3390/membranes12100957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2022] [Revised: 09/19/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Bio-membranes exhibit complex but unique mechanical properties as communicative regulators in various physiological and pathological processes. Exposed to a dynamic micro-environment, bio-membranes can be seen as an intricate and delicate system. The systematical modeling and detection of their local physical properties are often difficult to achieve, both quantitatively and precisely. The recent emerging diamonds hosting quantum defects (i.e., nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center) demonstrate intriguing optical and spin properties, together with their outstanding photostability and biocompatibility, rendering them ideal candidates for biological applications. Notably, the extraordinary spin-based sensing enable the measurements of localized nanoscale physical quantities such as magnetic fields, electrical fields, temperature, and strain. These nanoscale signals can be optically read out precisely by simple optical microscopy systems. Given these exclusive properties, NV-center-based quantum sensors can be widely applied in exploring bio-membrane-related features and the communicative chemical reaction processes. This review mainly focuses on NV-based quantum sensing in bio-membrane fields. The attempts of applying NV-based quantum sensors in bio-membranes to investigate diverse physical and chemical events such as membrane elasticity, phase change, nanoscale bio-physical signals, and free radical formation are fully overviewed. We also discuss the challenges and future directions of this novel technology to be utilized in bio-membranes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yayin Tan
- Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China
| | - Xinhao Hu
- Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China
| | - Yong Hou
- Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China
| | - Zhiqin Chu
- Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China
- Joint Appointment with School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China
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34
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Cancer as a Channelopathy—Appreciation of Complimentary Pathways Provides a Different Perspective for Developing Treatments. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14194627. [PMID: 36230549 PMCID: PMC9562872 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14194627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2022] [Revised: 09/17/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary While improvements in technology have improved our ability to treat many forms of cancer when diagnosed at an early stage of the disease, the ability to improve survival and quality of life for patients with late stage disease has been limited, largely due to the ability of cancer cells to evade destruction when treatments block preferred paths for survival. Here, we review the role that ions and ion channels play in normal cell function, the development of disease and their role in the life and death of a cell. It is hoped that viewing cancer from the perspective of altered ion channel expression and ion balance may provide a novel approach for developing more effective treatments for this devastating disease. Abstract Life depends upon the ability of cells to evaluate and adapt to a constantly changing environment and to maintain internal stability to allow essential biochemical reactions to occur. Ions and ion channels play a crucial role in this process and are essential for survival. Alterations in the expression of the transmembrane proteins responsible for maintaining ion balance that occur as a result of mutations in the genetic code or in response to iatrogenically induced changes in the extracellular environment is a characteristic feature of oncogenesis and identifies cancer as one of a constellation of diseases known as channelopathies. The classification of cancer as a channelopathy provides a different perspective for viewing the disease. Potentially, it may expand opportunities for developing novel ways to affect or reverse the deleterious changes that underlie establishing and sustaining disease and developing tolerance to therapeutic attempts at treatment. The role of ions and ion channels and their interactions in the cell’s ability to maintain ionic balance, homeostasis, and survival are reviewed and possible approaches that mitigate gain or loss of ion channel function to contribute to new or enhance existing cancer therapies are discussed.
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35
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Pai VP, Cooper BG, Levin M. Screening Biophysical Sensors and Neurite Outgrowth Actuators in Human Induced-Pluripotent-Stem-Cell-Derived Neurons. Cells 2022; 11:cells11162470. [PMID: 36010547 PMCID: PMC9406775 DOI: 10.3390/cells11162470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2022] [Revised: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 08/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
All living cells maintain a charge distribution across their cell membrane (membrane potential) by carefully controlled ion fluxes. These bioelectric signals regulate cell behavior (such as migration, proliferation, differentiation) as well as higher-level tissue and organ patterning. Thus, voltage gradients represent an important parameter for diagnostics as well as a promising target for therapeutic interventions in birth defects, injury, and cancer. However, despite much progress in cell and molecular biology, little is known about bioelectric states in human stem cells. Here, we present simple methods to simultaneously track ion dynamics, membrane voltage, cell morphology, and cell activity (pH and ROS), using fluorescent reporter dyes in living human neurons derived from induced neural stem cells (hiNSC). We developed and tested functional protocols for manipulating ion fluxes, membrane potential, and cell activity, and tracking neural responses to injury and reinnervation in vitro. Finally, using morphology sensor, we tested and quantified the ability of physiological actuators (neurotransmitters and pH) to manipulate nerve repair and reinnervation. These methods are not specific to a particular cell type and should be broadly applicable to the study of bioelectrical controls across a wide range of combinations of models and endpoints.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vaibhav P. Pai
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA
| | - Ben G. Cooper
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Michael Levin
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA
- Correspondence:
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36
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Zúñiga L, Cayo A, González W, Vilos C, Zúñiga R. Potassium Channels as a Target for Cancer Therapy: Current Perspectives. Onco Targets Ther 2022; 15:783-797. [PMID: 35899081 PMCID: PMC9309325 DOI: 10.2147/ott.s326614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2022] [Accepted: 07/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Potassium (K+) channels are highly regulated membrane proteins that control the potassium ion flux and respond to different cellular stimuli. These ion channels are grouped into three major families, Kv (voltage-gated K+ channel), Kir (inwardly rectifying K+ channel) and K2P (two-pore K+ channels), according to the structure, to mediate the K+ currents. In cancer, alterations in K+ channel function can promote the acquisition of the so-called hallmarks of cancer – cell proliferation, resistance to apoptosis, metabolic changes, angiogenesis, and migratory capabilities – emerging as targets for the development of new therapeutic drugs. In this review, we focus our attention on the different K+ channels associated with the most relevant and prevalent cancer types. We summarize our knowledge about the potassium channels structure and function, their cancer dysregulated expression and discuss the K+ channels modulator and the strategies for designing new drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leandro Zúñiga
- Laboratorio de Fisiología Molecular, Escuela de Medicina, Universidad de Talca, Talca, Chile.,Centro de Nanomedicina, Diagnóstico y Desarrollo de Fármacos (ND3), Escuela de Medicina, Universidad de Talca, Talca, Chile
| | - Angel Cayo
- Laboratorio de Fisiología Molecular, Escuela de Medicina, Universidad de Talca, Talca, Chile.,Centro de Nanomedicina, Diagnóstico y Desarrollo de Fármacos (ND3), Escuela de Medicina, Universidad de Talca, Talca, Chile
| | - Wendy González
- Centro de Bioinformática y Simulación Molecular, Universidad de Talca, Talca, Chile.,Millennium Nucleus of Ion Channels-Associated Diseases (MiNICAD), Universidad de Talca, Talca, Chile
| | - Cristian Vilos
- Centro de Nanomedicina, Diagnóstico y Desarrollo de Fármacos (ND3), Escuela de Medicina, Universidad de Talca, Talca, Chile.,Laboratory of Nanomedicine and Targeted Delivery, School of Medicine, Universidad de Talca, Talca, 3460000, Chile.,Center for The Development of Nanoscience & Nanotechnology (CEDENNA), Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago, 8350709, Chile
| | - Rafael Zúñiga
- Laboratorio de Fisiología Molecular, Escuela de Medicina, Universidad de Talca, Talca, Chile.,Centro de Nanomedicina, Diagnóstico y Desarrollo de Fármacos (ND3), Escuela de Medicina, Universidad de Talca, Talca, Chile
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37
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Fields C, Glazebrook JF, Levin M. Neurons as hierarchies of quantum reference frames. Biosystems 2022; 219:104714. [PMID: 35671840 DOI: 10.1016/j.biosystems.2022.104714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2022] [Revised: 05/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Conceptual and mathematical models of neurons have lagged behind empirical understanding for decades. Here we extend previous work in modeling biological systems with fully scale-independent quantum information-theoretic tools to develop a uniform, scalable representation of synapses, dendritic and axonal processes, neurons, and local networks of neurons. In this representation, hierarchies of quantum reference frames act as hierarchical active-inference systems. The resulting model enables specific predictions of correlations between synaptic activity, dendritic remodeling, and trophic reward. We summarize how the model may be generalized to nonneural cells and tissues in developmental and regenerative contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris Fields
- 23 Rue des Lavandières, 11160 Caunes Minervois, France.
| | - James F Glazebrook
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, IL 61920, USA; Adjunct Faculty, Department of Mathematics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Michael Levin
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA
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38
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Pai VP, Levin M. HCN2 Channel-induced Rescue of Brain, Eye, Heart, and Gut Teratogenesis Caused by Nicotine, Ethanol, and Aberrant Notch Signaling. Wound Repair Regen 2022; 30:681-706. [PMID: 35662339 DOI: 10.1111/wrr.13032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2022] [Revised: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Organogenesis is a complex process that can be disrupted by embryonic exposure to teratogens or mutation-induced alterations in signaling pathways, both of which result in organ mispatterning. Building on prior work in Xenopus laevis that showed that increased HCN2 ion channel activity rescues nicotine-induced brain & eye morphogenesis, we demonstrate much broader HCN2-based rescue of organ patterning defects. Induced HCN2 expression in both local or distant tissues can rescue CNS (brain & eye) as well as non-CNS (heart, & gut) organ defects induced by three different teratogenic conditions: nicotine exposure, ethanol exposure, or aberrant Notch protein. Rescue can also be induced by small-molecule HCN2 channel activators, even with delayed treatment initiation. Our results suggest that HCN2 (likely mediated by bioelectric signals) can be an effective regulator of organogenesis from all three germ layers (ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm) and reveal non-cell-autonomous influences on organ formation that work at considerable distance during embryonic development. These results suggest molecular bioelectric strategies for repair that could be explored in the future for regenerative medicine. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vaibhav P Pai
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Michael Levin
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts, USA
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K v1.1 preserves the neural stem cell pool and facilitates neuron maturation during adult hippocampal neurogenesis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2118240119. [PMID: 35613055 PMCID: PMC9295736 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2118240119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite decades of research on adult neurogenesis, little is known about the role of bioelectric signaling in this process. In this study, we describe how a voltage-gated potassium channel, Kv1.1, supports adult neurogenesis by maintaining the neural stem cell niche and facilitating newborn neuron development. Additionally, we show that deletion of Kv1.1 from adult neural stem cells contributes to modest impairments in hippocampus-dependent contextual fear learning and memory. Dysfunctional adult neurogenesis has been implicated in cognitive decline associated with aging and neurological disease. Therefore, understanding the role of Kv1.1 in adult neurogenesis represents an opportunity to identify new therapeutic targets to promote healthy neurogenesis and cognition. Adult hippocampal neurogenesis is critical for learning and memory, and aberrant adult neurogenesis has been implicated in cognitive decline associated with aging and neurological diseases [J. T. Gonçalves, S. T. Schafer, F. H. Gage, Cell 167, 897–914 (2016)]. In previous studies, we observed that the delayed-rectifier voltage-gated potassium channel Kv1.1 controls the membrane potential of neural stem and progenitor cells and acts as a brake on neurogenesis during neonatal hippocampal development [S. M. Chou et al., eLife 10, e58779 (2021)]. To assess the role of Kv1.1 in adult hippocampal neurogenesis, we developed an inducible conditional knockout mouse to specifically remove Kv1.1 from adult neural stem cells via tamoxifen administration. We determined that Kv1.1 deletion in adult neural stem cells causes overproliferation and depletion of radial glia-like neural stem cells, prevents proper adult-born granule cell maturation and integration into the dentate gyrus, and moderately impairs hippocampus-dependent contextual fear learning and memory. Taken together, these findings support a critical role for this voltage-gated ion channel in adult neurogenesis.
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Levin M. Technological Approach to Mind Everywhere: An Experimentally-Grounded Framework for Understanding Diverse Bodies and Minds. Front Syst Neurosci 2022; 16:768201. [PMID: 35401131 PMCID: PMC8988303 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2022.768201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Synthetic biology and bioengineering provide the opportunity to create novel embodied cognitive systems (otherwise known as minds) in a very wide variety of chimeric architectures combining evolved and designed material and software. These advances are disrupting familiar concepts in the philosophy of mind, and require new ways of thinking about and comparing truly diverse intelligences, whose composition and origin are not like any of the available natural model species. In this Perspective, I introduce TAME-Technological Approach to Mind Everywhere-a framework for understanding and manipulating cognition in unconventional substrates. TAME formalizes a non-binary (continuous), empirically-based approach to strongly embodied agency. TAME provides a natural way to think about animal sentience as an instance of collective intelligence of cell groups, arising from dynamics that manifest in similar ways in numerous other substrates. When applied to regenerating/developmental systems, TAME suggests a perspective on morphogenesis as an example of basal cognition. The deep symmetry between problem-solving in anatomical, physiological, transcriptional, and 3D (traditional behavioral) spaces drives specific hypotheses by which cognitive capacities can increase during evolution. An important medium exploited by evolution for joining active subunits into greater agents is developmental bioelectricity, implemented by pre-neural use of ion channels and gap junctions to scale up cell-level feedback loops into anatomical homeostasis. This architecture of multi-scale competency of biological systems has important implications for plasticity of bodies and minds, greatly potentiating evolvability. Considering classical and recent data from the perspectives of computational science, evolutionary biology, and basal cognition, reveals a rich research program with many implications for cognitive science, evolutionary biology, regenerative medicine, and artificial intelligence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Levin
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA, United States
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States
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Ion Channel Drugs Suppress Cancer Phenotype in NG108-15 and U87 Cells: Toward Novel Electroceuticals for Glioblastoma. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14061499. [PMID: 35326650 PMCID: PMC8946312 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14061499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2022] [Revised: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma is a lethal brain cancer that commonly recurs after tumor resection and chemotherapy treatment. Depolarized resting membrane potentials and an acidic intertumoral extracellular pH have been associated with a proliferative state and drug resistance, suggesting that forced hyperpolarization and disruption of proton pumps in the plasma membrane could be a successful strategy for targeting glioblastoma overgrowth. We screened 47 compounds and compound combinations, most of which were ion-modulating, at different concentrations in the NG108-15 rodent neuroblastoma/glioma cell line. A subset of these were tested in the U87 human glioblastoma cell line. A FUCCI cell cycle reporter was stably integrated into both cell lines to monitor proliferation and cell cycle response. Immunocytochemistry, electrophysiology, and a panel of physiological dyes reporting voltage, calcium, and pH were used to characterize responses. The most effective treatments on proliferation in U87 cells were combinations of NS1643 and pantoprazole; retigabine and pantoprazole; and pantoprazole or NS1643 with temozolomide. Marker analysis and physiological dye signatures suggest that exposure to bioelectric drugs significantly reduces proliferation, makes the cells senescent, and promotes differentiation. These results, along with the observed low toxicity in human neurons, show the high efficacy of electroceuticals utilizing combinations of repurposed FDA approved drugs.
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Grodstein J, Levin M. A Computational Approach to Explaining Bioelectrically Induced Persistent, Stochastic Changes of Axial Polarity in Planarian Regeneration. Bioelectricity 2022. [DOI: 10.1089/bioe.2021.0036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Joel Grodstein
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Michael Levin
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts, USA
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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Cui J, Xu Y, Tu H, Zhao H, Wang H, Di L, Wang R. Gather wisdom to overcome barriers: Well-designed nano-drug delivery systems for treating gliomas. Acta Pharm Sin B 2022; 12:1100-1125. [PMID: 35530155 PMCID: PMC9069319 DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2021.08.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2021] [Revised: 07/07/2021] [Accepted: 08/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Due to the special physiological and pathological characteristics of gliomas, most therapeutic drugs are prevented from entering the brain. To improve the poor prognosis of existing therapies, researchers have been continuously developing non-invasive methods to overcome barriers to gliomas therapy. Although these strategies can be used clinically to overcome the blood‒brain barrier (BBB), the accurate delivery of drugs to the glioma lesions cannot be ensured. Nano-drug delivery systems (NDDS) have been widely used for precise drug delivery. In recent years, researchers have gathered their wisdom to overcome barriers, so many well-designed NDDS have performed prominently in preclinical studies. These meticulous designs mainly include cascade passing through BBB and targeting to glioma lesions, drug release in response to the glioma microenvironment, biomimetic delivery systems based on endogenous cells/extracellular vesicles/protein, and carriers created according to the active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicines. We reviewed these well-designed NDDS in detail. Furthermore, we discussed the current ongoing and completed clinical trials of NDDS for gliomas therapy, and analyzed the challenges and trends faced by clinical translation of these well-designed NDDS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiwei Cui
- College of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China
- Jiangsu Provincial TCM Engineering Technology, Research Center of High Efficient Drug Delivery System, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Yuanxin Xu
- College of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China
- Jiangsu Provincial TCM Engineering Technology, Research Center of High Efficient Drug Delivery System, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Haiyan Tu
- College of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China
- Jiangsu Provincial TCM Engineering Technology, Research Center of High Efficient Drug Delivery System, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Huacong Zhao
- College of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China
- Jiangsu Provincial TCM Engineering Technology, Research Center of High Efficient Drug Delivery System, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Honglan Wang
- College of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China
- Jiangsu Provincial TCM Engineering Technology, Research Center of High Efficient Drug Delivery System, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Liuqing Di
- College of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China
- Jiangsu Provincial TCM Engineering Technology, Research Center of High Efficient Drug Delivery System, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Ruoning Wang
- College of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China
- Jiangsu Provincial TCM Engineering Technology, Research Center of High Efficient Drug Delivery System, Nanjing 210023, China
- Corresponding author. Tel./fax: +86 15852937869.
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Sofía M, Sebastián R, Emanuel C, Branham MT, Marzese DM, Matthew S, De Blas G, Rodolfo A, Michael L, María R. When left does not seem right: epigenetic and bioelectric differences between left- and right-sided breast cancer. Mol Med 2022; 28:15. [PMID: 35123413 PMCID: PMC8817536 DOI: 10.1186/s10020-022-00440-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2021] [Accepted: 01/18/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Background During embryogenesis lateral symmetry is broken, giving rise to Left/Right (L/R) breast tissues with distinct identity. L/R-sided breast tumors exhibit consistently-biased incidence, gene expression, and DNA methylation. We postulate that a differential L/R tumor-microenvironment crosstalk generates different tumorigenesis mechanisms. Methods We performed in-silico analyses on breast tumors of public datasets, developed xenografted tumors, and conditioned MDA-MB-231 cells with L/R mammary extracts. Results We found L/R differential DNA methylation involved in embryogenic and neuron-like functions. Focusing on ion-channels, we discovered significant L/R epigenetic and bioelectric differences. Specifically, L-sided cells presented increased methylation of hyperpolarizing ion channel genes and increased Ca2+ concentration and depolarized membrane potential, compared to R-ones. Functional consequences were associated with increased proliferation in left tumors, assessed by KI67 expression and mitotic count. Conclusions Our findings reveal considerable L/R asymmetry in cancer processes, and suggest specific L/R epigenetic and bioelectric differences as future targets for cancer therapeutic approaches in the breast and many other paired organs. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s10020-022-00440-5.
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Birey F, Li MY, Gordon A, Thete MV, Valencia AM, Revah O, Paşca AM, Geschwind DH, Paşca SP. Dissecting the molecular basis of human interneuron migration in forebrain assembloids from Timothy syndrome. Cell Stem Cell 2021; 29:248-264.e7. [PMID: 34990580 DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2021.11.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2021] [Revised: 10/19/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Defects in interneuron migration can disrupt the assembly of cortical circuits and lead to neuropsychiatric disease. Using forebrain assembloids derived by integration of cortical and ventral forebrain organoids, we have previously discovered a cortical interneuron migration defect in Timothy syndrome (TS), a severe neurodevelopmental disease caused by a mutation in the L-type calcium channel (LTCC) Cav1.2. Here, we find that acute pharmacological modulation of Cav1.2 can regulate the saltation length, but not the frequency, of interneuron migration in TS. Interestingly, the defect in saltation length is related to aberrant actomyosin and myosin light chain (MLC) phosphorylation, while the defect in saltation frequency is driven by enhanced γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) sensitivity and can be restored by GABA-A receptor antagonism. Finally, we describe hypersynchronous hCS network activity in TS that is exacerbated by interneuron migration. Taken together, these studies reveal a complex role of LTCC function in human cortical interneuron migration and strategies to restore deficits in the context of disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fikri Birey
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Stanford Brain Organogenesis, Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Min-Yin Li
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Stanford Brain Organogenesis, Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Aaron Gordon
- Program in Neurogenetics, Department of Neurology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Mayuri V Thete
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Stanford Brain Organogenesis, Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Alfredo M Valencia
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Stanford Brain Organogenesis, Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Omer Revah
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Stanford Brain Organogenesis, Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Anca M Paşca
- Department of Human Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Daniel H Geschwind
- Program in Neurogenetics, Department of Neurology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Department of Human Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Center for Autism Research and Treatment, Semel Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Institute of Precision Health, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Sergiu P Paşca
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Stanford Brain Organogenesis, Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
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Chen L, Hassani Nia F, Stauber T. Ion Channels and Transporters in Muscle Cell Differentiation. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:13615. [PMID: 34948411 PMCID: PMC8703453 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222413615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Revised: 12/04/2021] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Investigations on ion channels in muscle tissues have mainly focused on physiological muscle function and related disorders, but emerging evidence supports a critical role of ion channels and transporters in developmental processes, such as controlling the myogenic commitment of stem cells. In this review, we provide an overview of ion channels and transporters that influence skeletal muscle myoblast differentiation, cardiac differentiation from pluripotent stem cells, as well as vascular smooth muscle cell differentiation. We highlight examples of model organisms or patients with mutations in ion channels. Furthermore, a potential underlying molecular mechanism involving hyperpolarization of the resting membrane potential and a series of calcium signaling is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lingye Chen
- Institute for Chemistry and Biochemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany;
- Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Fatemeh Hassani Nia
- Institute for Molecular Medicine, MSH Medical School Hamburg, 20457 Hamburg, Germany;
| | - Tobias Stauber
- Institute for Chemistry and Biochemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany;
- Institute for Molecular Medicine, MSH Medical School Hamburg, 20457 Hamburg, Germany;
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Sharma R, Geranpayehvaghei M, Ejeian F, Razmjou A, Asadnia M. Recent advances in polymeric nanostructured ion selective membranes for biomedical applications. Talanta 2021; 235:122815. [PMID: 34517671 DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2021.122815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2021] [Revised: 08/13/2021] [Accepted: 08/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Nano structured ion-selective membranes (ISMs) are very attractive materials for a wide range of sensing and ion separation applications. The present review focuses on the design principles of various ISMs; nanostructured and ionophore/ion acceptor doped ISMs, and their use in biomedical engineering. Applications of ISMs in the biomedical field have been well-known for more than half a century in potentiometric analysis of biological fluids and pharmaceutical products. However, the emergence of nanotechnology and sophisticated sensing methods assisted in miniaturising ion-selective electrodes to needle-like sensors that can be designed in the form of implantable or wearable devices (smartwatch, tattoo, sweatband, fabric patch) for health monitoring. This article provides a critical review of recent advances in miniaturization, sensing and construction of new devices over last decade (2011-2021). The designing of tunable ISM with biomimetic artificial ion channels offered intensive opportunities and innovative clinical analysis applications, including precise biosensing, controlled drug delivery and early disease diagnosis. This paper will also address the future perspective on potential applications and challenges in the widespread use of ISM for clinical use. Finally, this review details some recommendations and future directions to improve the accuracy and robustness of ISMs for biomedical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rajni Sharma
- School of Engineering, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia
| | - Marzieh Geranpayehvaghei
- School of Engineering, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia; Department of Nanobiotechnology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, 14115-175, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Ejeian
- Department of Animal Biotechnology, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Biotechnology, ACECR, Isfahan, Iran; Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Biological Science and Technology, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, 73441-81746, Iran
| | - Amir Razmjou
- School of Engineering, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia; Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Biological Science and Technology, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, 73441-81746, Iran; Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, University of Technology Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; UNESCO Center for Membrane Technology, School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Mohsen Asadnia
- School of Engineering, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia.
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Cell Systems Bioelectricity: How Different Intercellular Gap Junctions Could Regionalize a Multicellular Aggregate. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13215300. [PMID: 34771463 PMCID: PMC8582473 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13215300] [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] [Received: 09/28/2021] [Revised: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Electric potential distributions can act as instructive pre-patterns for development, regeneration, and tumorigenesis in cell systems. The biophysical states influence transcription, proliferation, cell shape, migration, and differentiation through biochemical and biomechanical downstream transduction processes. A major knowledge gap is the origin of spatial patterns in vivo, and their relationship to the ion channels and the electrical synapses known as gap junctions. Understanding this is critical for basic evolutionary developmental biology as well as for regenerative medicine. We computationally show that cells may express connexin proteins with different voltage-gated gap junction conductances as a way to maintain multicellular regions at distinct membrane potentials. We show that increasing the multicellular connectivity via enhanced junction function does not always contribute to the bioelectrical normalization of abnormally depolarized multicellular patches. From a purely electrical junction view, this result suggests that the reduction rather than the increase of specific connexin levels can also be a suitable bioelectrical approach in some cases and time stages. We offer a minimum model that incorporates effective conductances ultimately related to specific ion channel and junction proteins that are amenable to external regulation. We suggest that the bioelectrical patterns and their encoded instructive information can be externally modulated by acting on the mean fields of cell systems, a complementary approach to that of acting on the molecular characteristics of individual cells. We believe that despite the limitations of a biophysically focused model, our approach can offer useful qualitative insights into the collective dynamics of cell system bioelectricity.
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McMillen P, Oudin MJ, Levin M, Payne SL. Beyond Neurons: Long Distance Communication in Development and Cancer. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:739024. [PMID: 34621752 PMCID: PMC8491768 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.739024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2021] [Accepted: 08/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Cellular communication is important in all aspects of tissue and organism functioning, from the level of single cells, two discreet populations, and distant tissues of the body. Long distance communication networks integrate individual cells into tissues to maintain a complex organism during development, but when communication between cells goes awry, disease states such as cancer emerge. Herein we discuss the growing body of evidence suggesting that communication methods known to be employed by neurons, also exist in other cell types. We identify three major areas of long-distance communication: bioelectric signaling, tunneling nanotubes (TNTs), and macrophage modulation of networks, and draw comparisons about how these systems operate in the context of development and cancer. Bioelectric signaling occurs between cells through exchange of ions and tissue-level electric fields, leading to changes in biochemical gradients and molecular signaling pathways to control normal development and tumor growth and invasion in cancer. TNTs transport key morphogens and other cargo long distances, mediating electrical coupling, tissue patterning, and malignancy of cancer cells. Lastly macrophages maintain long distance signaling networks through trafficking of vesicles during development, providing communication relays and priming favorable microenvironments for cancer metastasis. By drawing comparisons between non-neural long distance signaling in the context of development and cancer we aim to encourage crosstalk between the two fields to cultivate new hypotheses and potential therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick McMillen
- Department of Biology, Allen Discovery Center, Tufts University, Medford, MA, United States
| | - Madeleine J Oudin
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, MA, United States
| | - Michael Levin
- Department of Biology, Allen Discovery Center, Tufts University, Medford, MA, United States
| | - Samantha L Payne
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, MA, United States
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Silic MR, Murata SH, Park SJ, Zhang G. Evolution of inwardly rectifying potassium channels and their gene expression in zebrafish embryos. Dev Dyn 2021; 251:687-713. [PMID: 34558132 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.425] [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] [Received: 07/11/2021] [Revised: 09/07/2021] [Accepted: 09/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Inwardly rectifying potassium channels are essential for normal potassium homeostasis, maintaining the cellular resting membrane potential, and regulating electrolyte transportation. Mutations in Kir channels have been known to cause debilitating diseases ranging from neurological abnormalities to renal and cardiac failures. Many efforts have been made to understand their protein structures, physiological functions, and pharmacological modifiers. However, their expression and functions during embryonic development remain largely unknown. RESULTS Using zebrafish as a model, we identified and renamed 31 kir genes. We also analyzed Kir gene evolution by phylogenetic and syntenic analyses. Our data indicated that the four subtypes of the Kir genes might have already evolved out in chordates. These vertebrate Kir genes most likely resulted from both whole-genome duplications and tandem duplications. In addition, we examined zebrafish kir gene expression during early embryogenesis. Each subgroup's genes showed similar but distinct gene expression domains. The gene expression of ohnologous genes from teleost-specific whole-genome duplication indicated subfunctionalization. Varied temporal gene expression domains suggest that Kir channels may be needed for embryonic patterning or regulation. CONCLUSIONS Our phylogenetic and developmental analyses of Kir channels shed light on their evolutionary history and potential functions during embryogenesis related to congenital diseases and human channelopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin R Silic
- Department of Comparative Pathobiology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
| | - Sarah Haruka Murata
- Department of Comparative Pathobiology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
| | - Sung Jun Park
- Department of Comparative Pathobiology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
| | - GuangJun Zhang
- Department of Comparative Pathobiology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA.,Purdue University Center for Cancer Research, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA.,Purdue Institute for Inflammation, Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA.,Purdue Institute for Integrative Neuroscience, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
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