Biology subjects

Banerjee, P. P.

Publications and source records attributed to Banerjee, P. P..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2023

The Application of Label-free Detection Using a Tapered Optical Fiber System for Head and Neck Cancer and Infectious Biomolecules

IntroductionHead and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is associated with high morbidity and mortality due to late detection. Tapered optical fiber sensors (TOFS) are biosensors with the potential application as a point-of-care device for detection of HNSCC biomarkers. TOFS uses optical fibers as transduction elements and antigen-antibody binding for the detection of target biomolecules. The present TOFS system was designed to achieve high specificity, sensitivity, and repeatability. To explore its application in HNSCC, we targeted the proinflammatory cytokine IL-8, known for its role in promoting tumorigenicity, metastasis, and angiogenesis in HNSCC. To validate our proof-of-concept experiment, a viral surrogate of SARS-CoV-2, Human Coronavirus OC43 (HCoV-OC43), was also tested. MethodsOur TOFS system contains four main parts: the tapered optical fiber, reservoir (cell), laser light source, and photodetector. The fiber is bitapered with a narrow waist region that anchors antibodies to detect target biomolecules. Light is transduced by the laser to the fiber where it travels through the down-taper region to the tapered waist followed by the up-tapered region and ultimately transmitted to the photodetector. The tapered waist facilitates the transformation of a single mode light to multiple modes, which reverts to a single mode of light as it continues through the up-taper region. Biomolecules introduced to the waist region alter the effective refractive index, which is reflected in the phase change of the wavelength. This is detected by the photodetector and quantified using Fouier analysis. Our tapered fibers were designed with antigen-antibody complexes targeting IL-8 and HCoV-OC43 to validate our TOFS design across two different antigens. ResultsTOFS with tethered mouse anti-human IgG (28nm) bound to dissolved IL-8 (14 nm) produces a measurable phase shift. As little as 10pg/ml or 7.1X105 IL-8 molecules/l was detected by the prototype device and the phase change represented in real-time the binding dynamic of IL-8 to the tethered IgG. To validate our proof-of-concept experiment, HCoV-OC43 dissolved in saliva was detected with a sensitivity of 50 viruses/mL. ConclusionsTOFS device is a highly sensitive system capable of detecting proteins, viruses, and other biomolecules. Selectivity of the system is guaranteed by specific antigen-antibody binding, supported by the detection of IL-8 and HCoV-OC43 at the femtomolar level. The long-term goal for TOFS is its application as a point-of-care device used for detection, monitoring, and surveillance of HNSCC as well as detection of other pathogens in the clinical setting.

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2021

A multi-omics approach identifies pancreatic cancer cell extracellular vesicles as mediators of the unfolded protein response in normal pancreatic epithelial cells.

Although cancer-derived extracellular vesicles (cEVs) are thought to play a pivotal role in promoting cancer progression events, their precise effect on neighboring normal cells is unknown. In this study, we investigated the impact of pancreatic cancer ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) derived EVs on recipient non-tumorigenic pancreatic normal epithelial cells upon internalization. We show that PDAC cEVs increase the proliferation and invasive capability of treated normal cells. We further demonstrate that cEVs induce endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and the unfolded protein response (UPR) in treated normal pancreatic epithelial cells within 24 hours. Subsequently, these cells release several inflammatory cytokines. Leveraging a layered multi-omics approach, we analyzed EV cargo from a panel of 6 PDAC and 2 normal pancreas cell lines, using multiple EV isolation methods. We found that cEVs were enriched for an array of biomolecules which can induce or regulate ER stress and the UPR, including palmitic acid, sphingomyelins, metabolic regulators of tRNA charging and proteins which regulate trafficking and degradation. We further show that palmitic acid, at doses relevant to those found in cEVs, is sufficient to induce ER stress in normal pancreas cells. These results suggest that cEV cargo packaging may be designed to disseminate proliferative and invasive characteristics upon internalization by distant recipient normal cells, hitherto unreported. This study is among the first to highlight a major role for PDAC cEVs to induce stress in treated normal pancreas cells that may modulate a systemic response leading to altered phenotypes. For the first time, our study implicates cEV transported palmitic acid as a potential driver in this process. These findings highlight the importance of EVs in mediating disease etiology and open potential areas of investigation toward understanding the role of cEV lipids in promoting cell transformation in the surrounding microenvironment.

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2019

Human NK cell deficiency as a result of biallelic mutations in MCM10

Human natural killer cell deficiency (NKD) arises from inborn errors of immunity that lead to impaired NK cell development, function or both. Through the understanding of the biological perturbations in individuals with NKD, requirements for the generation of terminally mature functional innate effector cells can be elucidated. Here we report a novel cause of NKD resulting from compound heterozygous mutations in MCM10 that impaired NK cell maturation in a child with fatal susceptibility to CMV. MCM10 has not been previously associated with monogenic disease and plays a critical role in the activation and function of the eukaryotic DNA replisome. By modeling MCM10 deficiency in human NK cell lines and primary NK cell precursors, we demonstrate that MCM10 is required for NK cell terminal maturation and acquisition of immunological system function.

immunology↗