Yi ZOU^1*, Timothy C COX²

BIOCELL, Vol.37, No.3, pp. 55-61, 2013, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2013.37.055

Abstract PH (pleckstrin homology) domains are well known to bind membrane phosphoinositides with different specificities and direct PH domain-containing proteins to discrete subcellular compartments with assistances of alternative binding partners. PH domain-containing proteins have been found to be involved in a wide range of cellular events, including signalling, cytoskeleton rearrangement and vesicular trafficking. Here we showed that a novel PH domain-containing protein, PEPP2 (also known as PLEKHA5), displays moderate phosphoinositide binding specificity. Full length PEPP2 was observed to variably associate with both the plasma membrane and microtubules. The membrane-associated PEPP2 nucleated at cell-cell contacts and the leading edge of migrating cells.… More >

YI ZOU AND WENPING ZHONG

BIOCELL, Vol.36, No.3, pp. 127-132, 2012, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2012.36.127

Abstract The published article titled “A likely role for a novel PH-domain containing protein, PEPP2, in connecting membrane and cytoskeleton” has been retracted from the BIOCELL, Vol. 36, Issue 3, 2012. Title: A likely role for a novel PH-domain containing protein, PEPP2, in connecting membrane and cytoskeleton Authors: Yi Zou and Wenping Zhong URL: http://150.109.118.215/uploads/attached/file/20190102/20190102065508_87612.pdf The article “A likely role for a novel PH-domain containing protein, PEPP2, in connecting membrane and cytoskeleton” (Biocell 36, 127-132, 2012) has been retracted after publication by decision of the Editor-in-Chief, after he received compelling evidence indicating that the article’s content was part of a doctoral… More >

Yang Song¹, Jennifer Soto¹, Song Li^1,*

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.16, Suppl.2, pp. 92-92, 2019, DOI:10.32604/mcb.2019.07345

Abstract Cell reprograming technologies have broad applications in cell therapy, disease modeling and drug screening. Direct reprogramming of fibroblasts into induced neuronal (iN) cells has been achieved via the forced expression of three transcription factors: Ascl1, Brn2 and Myt1l. Accumulative evidence suggests that biophysical factors in the microenvironment can regulate the epigenetic state and cell reprogramming. However, whether intracellular mechanical properties regulate cell reprogramming remains unknown. Here, we show for the first time, that the mechanical property of cells is modulated during the early phase of reprogramming as determined by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and high-throughput quantitative deformability cytometry (q-DC). We… More >

Zhu Zeng^1,*, Zuquan Hu¹, Qinni Zheng¹, Xiaoli Xu¹, Rong Dong¹, Hui Xue¹, Hui Yang¹

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.16, Suppl.2, pp. 68-69, 2019, DOI:10.32604/mcb.2019.07085

Abstract Dendritic cells (DCs) play a crucial role in initiating and amplifying both the innate and adaptive immune responses [1]. Clinically, the DCs-based immunotherapy against cancer is considered one of the most promising therapies to overcome cancers, but there are still many challenges need to be overcome [2]. The motility of DCs is especially crucial for migration of immature DCs into peripheral tissue and dynamic physical interaction between mature DCs and naive T cells in the secondary lymph node. This study focuses on the investigations of DCs at different differentiation stages and under various suppressive cytokines (VEGF, TGF-β1 and IL-10) conditioned… More >

Ning Wang^1,*

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.16, Suppl.2, pp. 21-21, 2019, DOI:10.32604/mcb.2019.07550

Abstract Decades ago YC Fung proposed that mechanical stress could have substantial impacts on remodeling and growth of living tissues. Fung also proposed the concept of residual stress in blood vessels and quantified residual stress in excised arteries [1]. However, how stress influences cell and tissue functions remains elusive. At the cellular level, we have quantified myosin II mediated pre-existing tensile stress (prestress) in living cells and demonstrated that the prestress (the endogenous cytoskeletal tension) regulates cell stiffness, gene expression, and long-distance stress propagation in the cytoplasm to activate enzymes [2]. The prestress even impacts on force-induced direct chromatin stretching and… More >

Nan Shen^1,2, Dabajyoti Datta¹, Chris B. Schaffer^1,3,4,5, Eric Mazur^1,6

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.2, No.1, pp. 17-26, 2005, DOI:10.3970/mcb.2005.002.017

Abstract Analysis of cell regulation requires methods for perturbing molecular processes within living cells with spatial discrimination on the nanometer-scale. We present a technique for ablating molecular structures in living cells using low-repetition rate, low-energy femtosecond laser pulses. By tightly focusing these pulses beneath the cell membrane, we ablate cellular material inside the cell through nonlinear processes. We selectively removed sub-micrometer regions of the cytoskeleton and individual mitochondria without altering neighboring structures or compromising cell viability. This nanoscissor technique enables non-invasive manipulation of the structural machinery of living cells with several-hundred-nanometer resolution. Using this approach, we unequivocally demonstrate that mitochondria are… More >

Christopher A. Lemmon^1,2, Nathan J. Sniadecki³, Sami Alom Ruiz^1,3, John L. Tan, Lewis H. Romer^2,4,5, Christopher S. Chen^3,4

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.2, No.1, pp. 1-16, 2005, DOI:10.3970/mcb.2005.002.001

Abstract The interplay of mechanical forces between the extracellular environment and the cytoskeleton drives development, repair, and senescence in many tissues. Quantitative definition of these forces is a vital step in understanding cellular mechanosensing. Microfabricated post array detectors (mPADs) provide direct measurements of cell-generated forces during cell adhesion to extracellular matrix. A new approach to mPAD post labeling, volumetric imaging, and an analysis of post bending mechanics determined that cells apply shear forces and not point moments at the matrix interface. In addition, these forces could be accurately resolved from post deflections by using images of post tops and bases. Image… More >

Warren D. Marcus^1,2, Rodger P. McEver³, Cheng Zhu¹

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.1, No.4, pp. 245-252, 2004, DOI:10.3970/mcb.2004.001.245

Abstract When a cell adhered to another cell or substratum via surface proteins is forced to detach, lipid membrane tethers are often extruded from the cell surface before the protein bond dissociates. For example, during the inflammatory reaction leukocytes roll on the surface of activated endothelial cells. The rolling adhesion is mediated by interactions of selectins with their ligands, e.g., P-selectin glycoprotein ligand (PSGL)-1, which extrudes membrane tethers from the surfaces of both leukocytes and endothelial cells. Membrane tether extrusion has been suggested to regulate leukocyte rolling. Here we examine several factors that may affect forces required to initiate membrane tethers,… More >

Tanmay Lele^1,1, Philmo Oh^1,1, Jeffrey A. Nickerson^1,1,2,2, Donald E. Ingber^1,1,3,3

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.1, No.3, pp. 181-190, 2004, DOI:10.3970/mcb.2004.001.181

Abstract The estimation of binding constants and diffusion coefficients of molecules that associate with insoluble molecular scaffolds inside living cells and nuclei has been facilitated by the use of Fluorescence Recovery after Photobleaching (FRAP) in conjunction with mathematical modeling. A critical feature unique to FRAP experiments that has been overlooked by past mathematical treatments is the existence of an `equilibrium constraint': local dynamic equilibrium is not disturbed because photobleaching does not functionally destroy molecules, and hence binding-unbinding proceeds at equilibrium rates. Here we describe an improved mathematical formulation under the equilibrium constraint which provides a more accurate estimate of molecular reaction… More >

D.E. Ingber¹

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.1, No.1, pp. 53-68, 2004, DOI:10.3970/mcb.2004.001.053

Abstract This article is a summary of a lecture presented at a symposium on "Mechanics and Chemistry of Biosystems'' in honor of Professor Y.C. Fung that convened at the University of California, Irvine in February 2004. The article reviews work from our laboratory that focuses on the mechanism by which mechanical and chemical signals interplay to control how individual cells decide whether to grow, differentiate, move, or die, and thereby promote pattern formation during tissue morphogenesis. Pursuit of this challenge has required development and application of new microtechnologies, theoretical formulations, computational models and bioinformatics tools. These approaches have been used to… More >