Single-cell transcriptomic characterization of stiffness-dependent transcriptomic changes in hepatic stellate cells
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
ORGANISM(S): Mus musculus
PROVIDER: GSE337886 | GEO | 2026/09/07
REPOSITORIES: GEO
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Project description:In vitro cultures of primary cardiac fibroblasts (CFs), the major extracellular matrix (ECM)-producing cells of the heart, are used to determine molecular mechanisms of cardiac fibrosis. However, the supraphysiologic stiffness of tissue culture polystyrene (TCPS) automatically triggers the conversion of CFs into an activated myofibroblast-like state, and serial passage of the cells results in the induction of replicative senescence. These dramatic phenotypic switches confound interpretation of experimental data obtained with cultured CFs. In an attempt to circumvent TCPS-induced activation and senescence of CFs, we utilized poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG) hydrogels as cell culture platforms with low and high stiffness formulations to mimic healthy and fibrotic cardiac ECM, respectively. As hypothesized, low hydrogel stiffness converted activated CFs into a quiescent state with reduced abundance of a-smooth muscle actin (a-SMA)-containing stress fibers. Unexpectedly, lower substrate stiffness concomitantly augmented CF senescence, marked by elevated senescence-associated b-galactosidase (SA-b-Gal) activity and increased expression of p16 and p21, which are cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitors and markers of senescence. Using dynamically stiffening hydrogels with phototunable crosslinking capabilities, we demonstrate that substrate-induced CF senescence is partially reversible. RNA-sequencing analysis revealed widespread transcriptional reprogramming of CFs cultured on low stiffness hydrogels, with a dramatic reduction in the expression of profibrotic genes encoding ECM proteins, and an attendant increase in expression of NF-kB-responsive inflammatory genes that typify the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). Our findings further demonstrate that alterations in matrix stiffness profoundly impact CF cell state transitions, and suggest mechanisms by which CFs change phenotype in vivo depending on the stiffness of the myocardial microenvironment to which they are exposed.
2023-10-24 | GSE244614 | GEO
Project description:Cells interact with their mechanical environment and respond in consequence. Mechanical cues can have a wide range of influences on cell behaviour, ranging from guidance of differentiation and cell fate to immune activation. The impact of substrate stiffness on primary macrophages - a key player in innate immunity and inflammation - had not been previously studied. We prepared bone marrow-derived macrophage cultures from adult rat hematopoietic stem cells exposed to M-CSF, and cultured these on polyacrylamide substrates of controlled stiffness (ranging from 50 to 0.1 kPa shear modulus, covering the range found in physiological tissues) for 3 days. The RNA from these cells was then extracted and sequenced.
2023-04-15 | E-MTAB-7900 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:Microarray analysis was used to evaluate expression differences from a single donor human bone marrow stromal cells (hBMSCs) as a function of varied polymer-based tissue engineering scaffolds. These scaffolds include polycaprolactone (PCL) nanofibers (PCL_NF), films (PCL_SC), poly D,L-lactic acid (PDLLA) nanofibers (PDLLA_NF), films (PDLLA_SC), tissue culture polystyrene (TCPS) and TCPS with osteogenic supplements (TCPS_OS). The results revealed that scaffold structure was able to significantly affect gene expression, with nanofiber scaffolds inducing similar gene expression patterns to hBMCSs cultured with osteogenic media. A library of scaffolds prepared from polycaprolactone or poly D,L-lactic acid was sythesized and cultured with hBMSCs for 14 days with RNA extracted from cells on Day 1 and Day 14. Gene expression analysis was performed using BRB ArrayTools. SC = spun coat, BNF = big nanofiber, TCPS = tissue culture polystyrene, TCPS+OS = tissue culture polystyrene with osteogenic supplements. This data forms is part of a pending publication: Baker et al. Ontology Analysis of Global Gene Expression Differences of Human Bone Marrow Stromal Cells Cultured on 3D Scaffolds or 2D Films and is a subset of the 72 array data referenced in ( Kumar et al. The determination of stem cell fate by 3D scaffold structures through the control of cell shape, Biomaterials (2011) 32, 9188-9196.) The 72 array data set is submitted separately to GEO as GSE50743.
2013-11-01 | E-GEOD-50744 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:Microarray analysis was used to evaluate expression differences from a single donor human bone marrow stromal cells (hBMSCs) as a function of varied polymer-based tissue engineering scaffolds. These scaffolds include polycaprolactone (PCL) nanofibers (PCL_NF), films (PCL_SC), poly D,L-lactic acid (PDLLA) nanofibers (PDLLA_NF), films (PDLLA_SC), tissue culture polystyrene (TCPS) and TCPS with osteogenic supplements (TCPS_OS). The results revealed that scaffold structure was able to significantly affect gene expression, with nanofiber scaffolds inducing similar gene expression patterns to hBMCSs cultured with osteogenic media.
2013-11-01 | GSE50744 | GEO
Project description:Mechanical feedback from the tumor microenvironment regulates an array of processes underlying cancer biology. Routine culture and adaptation of cancer cell lines to unnaturally rigid plastic or glass substrates leads to profound changes in their growth, metastatic potential and potentially chemotherapeutic response. Microarray studies were conducted to probe the impact of substratum stiffness on the regulation of genetic pathways in mammary tumor cells, and immortalized cancer cell lines, that modulate sensitivity and resistance towards clinically-approved chemotherapeutics We used microarrays to detail the global programme of gene expression underlying cellular response to substrates of different mechanical stiffness.
2019-03-28 | GSE107063 | GEO
Project description:This study explores how increased matrix stiffness alters fibroblast transcription and its impact on the lineage specification of fibroblast subpopulations in fibrotic skin. Fibroblasts from healthy and systemic sclerosis patients were cultured in a collagen I-based 3D system with varying matrix stiffness levels, and RNA sequencing was performed to identify stiffness-responsive genes.
2026-01-01 | E-MTAB-14804 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:Cell expansion is crucial for organ morphogenesis in multicellular organisms. Plant cells are surrounded by rigid cell walls and turgor pressure drives cell expansion at a rate that is limited by the mechanical property of cell wall. The regulation of cell wall-loosening underlies the mechanism of cell expansion, but the integration of this regulation with organ morphogenesis is still elusive. In this study, we demonstrate that TEOSINTE BRANCHED1, CYCLOIDEA, PROLIFERATING CELL NUCLEAR ANTIGEN BINDING FACTORs (TCPs) transcription factors integrate cell wall loosening and organ morphogenesis in Arabidopsis thaliana. We observed that TCPs stimulated cell expansion and exaggerated elongation of hypocotyls. The atomic force microscopy analysis demonstrated that TCPs decreased the stiffness of cells, indicating the roles of TCPs to regulate the mechanical properties of cell wall. The gene expression analyses found that TCPs regulated the genes for both cell wall loosening and apoplast acidification such as SMALL AUXIN UP RNAs (SAURs). Because apoplast acidification induces cell wall loosening, we conducted western blot and pharmacological analyses and revealed that TCPs activated a plasma membrane-localized H+-ATPase responsible for apoplast acidification. Monitoring the apoplast pH at cellular resolutions indicated that TCPs stimulated apoplast acidification. Ectopic expression of a SAUR gene in a sextuple tcp mutant substantially recovered the hypocotyl morphology of the tcp mutant, providing the genetic evidence of the TCP-mediated SAUR regulation. Altogether, we demonstrate that TCPs govern cell wall loosening for cell expansion and pave the way to modify plant architectures through the regulation of cell wall loosening.
2025-09-23 | GSE271710 | GEO
Project description:Microarray analysis was used to evaluate expression differences from a single donor human bone marrow stromal cells (hBMSCs) as a function of varied polymer-based tissue engineering scaffolds. The results revealed that gene expression patterns of hBMSCs grouped according to scaffold. A library of scaffolds prepared from polycaprolactone (PCL) or poly D,L-lactic acid (PDLLA) was sythesized and cultured with hBMSCs for 14 days with RNA extracted from cells on Day 1 and Day 14. Gene expression analysis was performed using BRB ArrayTools. GF = gas foam, SC = spun coat, BNF = big nanofiber, SNF = small nanofiber, FFF = free-form fabricated, TCPS = tissue culture polystyrene, TCPS+OS = tissue culture polystyrene with osteogenic supplements. The 72 arrays data was used previously in the publication: Kumar et al. The determination of stem cell fate by 3D scaffold structures through the control of cell shape, Biomaterials (2011) 32, 9188-9196. A companion data set of 24 arrays was submitted separately to GEO as GSE50744 and will be referenced to Baker et al. Ontology Analysis of Global Gene Expression Differences of Human Bone Marrow Stromal Cells Cultured on 3D Scaffolds or 2D Films
2013-11-01 | E-GEOD-50743 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:The Rho family GTPases, Rac and Rho, play critical roles in transmitting mechanical information contained within the extracellular matrix (ECM) to the cell. Rac and Rho have well described roles in regulating stiffness-dependent actin remodeling, proliferation and motility. However, much less is known about the relative roles of these GTPases in stiffness-dependent transcription, particularly at the genome-wide level. Here, we selectively inhibited Rac and Rho in mouse embryonic fibroblasts cultured on deformable substrata and used RNA sequencing to elucidate and compare the contribution of these GTPases to the early transcriptional response to ECM stiffness. Surprisingly, we found that the stiffness-dependent activation of Rac is dominant over Rho in the initial transcriptional response to ECM stiffness. We also identified Activating Transcription Factor 3 (ATF3) as a major target of stiffness/Rac-mediated signaling and show that ATF3 repression by ECM stiffness helps to explain how the stiffness-dependent activation of Rac results in the induction of cyclin D1.
2023-10-04 | GSE236266 | GEO
Project description:Vascular extracellular matrix (ECM) stiffening is a risk factor for aortic and coronary artery disease. How matrix stiffening regulates the transcriptome profile of human aortic (Ao) and coronary (Co) vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) is not well understood. Furthermore, the role of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the cellular response to stiffening has never been explored. This study characterizes the stiffness-sensitive transcriptome of human Ao and Co VSMCs and identify potentially key lncRNA regulators of stiffness-dependent VSMC functions. Ao and Co VSMCs were cultured on hydrogel substrates mimicking physiologic and pathologic ECM stiffness. Total RNA-seq was performed to compare the stiffness-sensitive transcriptome profiles of Ao and Co VSMCs.
2017-12-01 | GSE100081 | GEO