Biology subjects

Gall, L.

Publications and source records attributed to Gall, L..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

SynthMLM: A framework for interpretable analysis and synthetic localisation data generation for SMLM

Quantitative analysis of single-molecule localisation microscopy (SMLM) data remains challenging because biologically diverse, well-annotated datasets are limited, whilst nanoscale protein organisation is heterogeneous and difficult to describe with hand-tuned metrics. We present SynthMLM, a framework that infers interpretable structural descriptors from experimental SMLM data and uses these descriptors to generate synthetic localisation datasets. We demonstrate SynthMLM by generating descriptor-matched synthetic datasets corresponding to diverse experimental SMLM datasets and evaluating their agreement with real data using descriptor-level and embedding-based measures. By enabling controlled generation of synthetic localisation data, SynthMLM provides a practical resource for benchmarking SMLM analysis methods, testing algorithm failure modes, and developing machine-learning workflows where large, labelled datasets are required.

biophysics↗

bioRxiv2025

Intestinal Stem and Progenitor Cells Exhibit Distinct Adaptive Responses to Inflammatory Stress in IBD

BackgroundIntestinal epithelial stem cells (SCs) and their transit-amplifying (TA) progeny are critical for mucosal repair and regeneration. However, their behaviour under chronic inflammatory conditions, such as those observed in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), remains incompletely understood. MethodsWe investigated the impact of chronic inflammation on intestinal stem/progenitor cells by integrating bulk RNA sequencing from the largest IBD biopsy cohort to date with single-cell transcriptomic analysis and experimental assays using patient-derived intestinal organoids. ResultsActive inflammation was associated with a reduction in canonical LGR5 intestinal stem cells and a concurrent expansion of OLFM4 populations, consistent with an inflammation-induced epithelial repair program. Notably, SC/TA cells from both inflamed and non-inflamed IBD tissues exhibited persistent transcriptional changes that were distinct from those in healthy controls. Single-cell analysis identified transcriptionally heterogeneous SC/TA subpopulations, including a previously uncharacterized inflammation-associated cluster enriched in immune signalling pathways. Pseudotime trajectory analysis demonstrated a shift in differentiation toward deep crypt secretory (Paneth-like) cell lineages under inflammatory conditions. ConclusionsChronic intestinal inflammation reshapes the epithelial stem and progenitor cell compartment, promoting altered differentiation and the emergence of immune-responsive epithelial states. These findings highlight the plasticity of the human intestinal epithelium in IBD and point to new avenues for therapeutic strategies aimed at maintaining epithelial integrity during chronic inflammation.

molecular biology↗

bioRxiv2022

Homeostasis, injury and recovery dynamics at multiple scales in a self-organizing intestinal crypt

We have built a multi-scale agent-based model (ABM) that reproduces the self-organizing behaviour reported for the intestinal crypt. We demonstrate that a stable spatial organization emerges from the dynamic interaction of multiple signalling pathways, such as Wnt, Notch, BMP, RNF43/ZNRF3 and YAP-Hippo pathways, which regulate proliferation and differentiation, respond to environmental mechanical cues, form feedback mechanisms and modulate the dynamics of the cell cycle protein network. The model recapitulates the crypt phenotype reported after persistent stem cell ablation and after the inhibition of the CDK1 cycle protein. Moreover, we simulated 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-induced toxicity at multiple scales starting from DNA and RNA damage, which disturbs the cell cycle, cell signalling, proliferation, differentiation and migration and leads to loss of barrier integrity. During recovery, our in-silico crypt regenerates its structure in a self-organizing, dynamic fashion driven by dedifferentiation and enhanced by negative feedback loops. Overall, we present a systems model able to simulate the disruption of molecular events and its impact across multiple levels of epithelial organization and demonstrate its application to epithelial research and drug discovery.

systems biology↗