Project description:Mechanosensitive ion channels have emerged as fundamental proteins in sensing extracellular matrix (ECM) mechanics. Among those, Piezo1 has been proposed as a key mechanosensor in cells. However, whether and how Piezo1 senses time-dependent ECM mechanical properties (i.e., viscoelasticity) remains unknown. To address this question, we combined an immortalised mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) line with adjustable Piezo1 expression with soft (400 Pa) and stiff (25 kPa) viscoelastic hydrogels with independently tuneable Young’s modulus and stress relaxation. Here, we propose that Piezo1 is an important sensor of stiffness at this range (25kPa) consistent with the molecular clutch model. By performing RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), we identified the transcriptomic phenotype of MSCs response to matrix viscoelasticity and Piezo1 activity, highlighting gene signatures that drive MSCs mechanobiology at this elasticity scale.
Project description:Mechanosensitive ion channels have emerged as fundamental proteins in sensing extracellular matrix (ECM) mechanics. Among those, Piezo1 has been proposed as a key mechanosensor in cells. However, whether and how Piezo1 senses time-dependent ECM mechanical properties (i.e., viscoelasticity) remains unknown. To address this question, we combined an immortalised mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) line with adjustable Piezo1 expression with soft (0.4 kPa) and stiff (25 kPa) viscoelastic hydrogels with independently tuneable Young’s modulus and stress relaxation. Here, we propose that Piezo1 is an important sensor of stiffness at this range (25kPa) consistent with the molecular clutch model. By performing RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), we identified the transcriptomic phenotype of MSCs response to matrix viscoelasticity and Piezo1 activity, highlighting gene signatures that drive MSCs mechanobiology at this elasticity scale.
Project description:Mechanosensitive ion channels have emerged as fundamental proteins in sensing extracellular matrix (ECM) mechanics. Among those, Piezo1 has been proposed as a key mechanosensor in cells. However, whether and how Piezo1 senses time-dependent ECM mechanical properties (i.e., viscoelasticity) remains unknown. To address this question, we combined an immortalised mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) line with adjustable Piezo1 expression with soft (400 Pa) and stiff (25 kPa) viscoelastic hydrogels with independently tuneable Young’s modulus and stress relaxation. Here, we propose that Piezo1 is an important sensor of stiffness at this range (25kPa) consistent with the molecular clutch model. By performing RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), we identified the transcriptomic phenotype of MSCs response to matrix viscoelasticity and Piezo1 activity, highlighting gene signatures that drive MSCs mechanobiology at this elasticity scale.
Project description:The tumour microenvironment is a critical element involved in tumour progression and responsiveness to therapies. Using functionalized tunable stiffness hydrogel, mimicking the mechanical properties of healthy and tumour tissues, we explore how the stiffness of the microenvironment can influence cancer cells by generating RNA-seq transcriptional profiles of 4T1 mouse breast cancer cells cultured on soft vs stiff polyacrylamide hydrogels for 24 hours.
Project description:Hippocampal rat neurons have been cultured on very soft (100 Pa) and stiff (10 kPa) hydrogels for 7 days. On DIV7, the RNA has been extracted and sequenced. The goal of this experiment is to understand why neurons mature more quickly on soft gels compared to stiff gels.
Project description:Purpose: To identify genes and the molecular pathways involved in the MSCs response to extracellular matrix stiffness, we performed RNA-sequencing of MSCs which cultured in soft (2 kPa) and stiff (18 kPa) SA hydrogels. Methods: mRNA profiles of MSCs cultured in soft (2 kPa) and stiff (18 kPa) SA hydrogel for 48 h were generated by deep sequencing, in quadruplicate, using Illumina HiSeq 2000. Results: Using an optimized data analysis workflow, we identified 33950 transcripts in MSCs with BWA workflow. Conclusions: Our results present the detailed analysis of MSCs transcriptomes cultured in soft (2 kPa) and stiff (18 kPa) matrix, and found that matrix stiffness dominated multiple mRNA pathways in MSCs.