Biology subjects

D'Aniello, C.

Publications and source records attributed to D'Aniello, C..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Mechanobiology-guided drug repurposing identifies budesonide as an inhibitor of stiffness-induced PDAC aggressiveness

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) develops within a desmoplastic and stiffened microenvironment that critically shapes tumor progression and therapeutic resistance, yet these features are not reproduced by conventional rigid plastic culture systems. Here, we leverage a tuneable bioengineered platform that mimics stromal stiffening to investigate how mechanical cues regulate PDAC cell behaviour and to identify pharmacological strategies that counteract stiffness-driven malignancy. We show that increasing matrix stiffness promotes key hallmarks of PDAC aggressiveness, including enhanced cell spreading, focal adhesions maturation, and cytoskeletal tension. Notably, we identify the glucocorticoid budesonide as a selective suppressor of stiffness-induced malignant phenotypes. Transcriptomic profiling reveals that budesonide counteracts stiffness-associated gene programs, prominently affecting pathways governing cytoskeletal dynamics, nuclear envelope organization, and YAP nucleocytoplasmic transport. Consistently, budesonide reduced force transmission to the nucleus, restoring nuclear wrinkling and constraining nuclear size and shape. These effects are mediated through both glucocorticoid receptor-dependent and -independent mechanisms, revealing a previously unrecognized mode of action. Together, our findings establish mechanical context as a critical determinant of PDAC vulnerability and identify budesonide as a candidate for therapeutic repurposing to target stiffness-driven cancer progression.

bioengineering↗

bioRxiv2026

Rare variants alter mitochondrial lipid homeostasis and neuronal excitability in PD patient-derived dopaminergic neurons

Parkinsons disease (PD) exhibits substantial genetic heterogeneity, yet how combinations of rare variants converge on disease-relevant cellular mechanisms remains unclear. Here, we generated human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived dopaminergic neurons from PD patients carrying rare variants in recently implicated genes and performed integrated electrophysiological, proteomic, lipidomic, and genetic analyses. Patient-derived neurons showed reduced membrane capacitance and altered action potential firing, indicating impaired intrinsic excitability and synaptic dysfunction, with marked variability across genetic backgrounds. Multi-omics profiling revealed dysregulation of mitochondrial function, glycolysis, and oxidative phosphorylation, accompanied by extensive lipid remodeling, including increased fatty acids, acylcarnitines, and sphingolipids, and reduced gangliosides. These alterations were more pronounced in neurons harboring specific variant combinations in KIF21B, SLC6A3, HMOX2, TMEM175, and AIMP2. Integrative analyses uncovered coordinated protein-lipid changes linking mitochondrial dysfunction and membrane homeostasis. Notably, Calpastatin and CXCR4 were consistently dysregulated across PD neurons. Genetic association analyses in independent cohorts identified PD-associated variants in genes encoding dysregulated proteins, supporting the functional relevance of these pathways. Overall, our results define convergent and variant-specific mechanisms underlying PD and highlight candidate biomarkers and therapeutic targets.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2019

Gastruloid development competence discriminates different states of pluripotency between naïve and primed

Floating spheroidal aggregates (aggregomes) of mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) can develop into polarized/elongated organoids, namely gastruloids. Here we report a high-performing assay to measure gastruloids formation efficiency (GFE), i.e. the fraction of gastruloid-developing aggregomes. By exploiting this procedure, we provide morphological and molecular evidence that gastruloid development relies on Cripto. We also demonstrate that GFE decreases as pluripotency progresses from naive to primed state. Indeed, naive ESC-derived aggregomes efficiently elongate (GFE[≥]95%), while primed EpiSCs fail to aggregate and consequently to generate gastruloids (GFE=0%). Conversely, while early-primed EpiLCs properly aggregate, EpiLC-derived aggregomes are mostly abortive (GFE=0%). Unlike EpiLCs, L-Proline-treated ESCs (PiCs) generate productive aggregomes (GFE[≥]50%), which however begin to elongate earlier and generate smaller gastruloids that appear more differentiated. Like EpiLCs, PiCs are competent to differentiate into primordial germ cell-like cells (PGCLCs), suggesting that PiCs capture an EpiLC-like state with unique competence for both gastruloid formation and differentiation into PGCLCs. Thus we propose GFE assay as a simple and robust in vitro method to discriminate different phenotypic/functional states of the pluripotency continuum.

developmental biology↗