Biology subjects

Hardeman, E. C.

Publications and source records attributed to Hardeman, E. C..

11 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

The way less obvious: PIEZO1 supports apoptotic cell extrusion by optimizing tissue mechanical tension for homeostasis.

Apical cell extrusion is a mechanical process that allows epithelia to eliminate apoptotic cells and prevent inflammation. Mechanosensitive ion channels are often invoked for their capacity to mediate rapid mechanical responses in dynamic morphogenetic processes. Here we report an unexpected strategy for PIEZO1 to support apoptotic extrusion. PIEZO1 inhibition blocks extrusion in cultured cells and zebrafish larvae. However, although PIEZO1 mediates calcium signals during the extrusion process, we show that extrusion is instead antagonized by increase in the preexisting mechanical tension of the epithelium when PIEZO1 is disrupted. Correcting enhanced pre-stress in PIEZO1-disrupted epithelia is sufficient to rescue apoptotic extrusion, even though it does not restore dynamic calcium signals. PIEZO1 supports mechanical homeostasis through a calcium/calcineurin-dependent pathway that protects MYPT1/myosin phosphatase from degradation to limit Myosin II activation. Therefore, PIEZO1 support the morphogenetic process of apoptotic extrusion through mechanical homeostasis.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2025

Knock-out of Tpm4.2/actin filaments alters neuronal signaling, neurite outgrowth and behavioral phenotypes in mice.

Tropomyosins (Tpm) are master regulators of actin dynamics through forming co-polymers with filamentous actin. Despite the well-understood function of muscle Tpms in the contractile apparatus of muscle cells, much less is known about the diverse physiological function of cytoplasmic Tpms in eukaryotic cells. Here, we investigated the role of the Tpm4.2 isoform in neuronal processes including signaling, neurite outgrowth and receptor recycling using primary neurons from Tpm4.2 knock-out mice. Live imaging of calcium and electro-physiology data demonstrated increased frequency, yet reduced strength of single neuron spikes. Calcium imaging further showed increase in neuronal networks. In vitro assays of Tpm4.2 knock-out neurons displayed impaired recycling of the AMPA neurotransmitter receptor subunit GluA1. Morphometric analysis of neurite growth showed increased dendritic complexity and altered dendritic spine morphology in Tpm4.2 knock-out primary neurons. Behavioral analysis of Tpm4.2 knock-out mice displayed heightened anxiety in Open field test whilst Elevated Plus maze displayed heightened anxiety only in females. A sex-dependent phenotype was also seen in the Social Preference test with impaired social memory and socialization in female Tpm4.2 knock-out mice, whilst male and female knock-out mice had impaired recognition memory in a Novel Object Recognition test. Our study depicts the multi-faceted role of the Tpm4.2 isoform and its co-polymer F-actin population in neurons, with potential implications for better understanding diseases of the nervous system which involve actin cytoskeleton dys-function.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2024

A truncation mutant of adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) impairs apical cell extrusion through elevated epithelial tissue tension

Tissue tension encompasses the mechanical forces exerted on solid tissues within animal bodies, originating from various sources such as cellular contractility, interactions with neighbouring cells and the extracellular matrix. Emerging evidence indicates that an imbalance in tissue tension can influence structural organisation, homeostasis and potentially contribute to disease. For instance, heightened tissue tension can impede apical cell extrusion, leading to the retention of apoptotic or transformed cells. In this study, we investigate the potential role of adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) in modulating tissue tension. Our findings reveal that expression of an APC truncation mutant elevates epithelial tension via the RhoA/ROCK pathway. This elevation induces morphological alterations and hampers apoptotic cell extrusion in cultured epithelial cells and organoids, both of which could be mitigated by pharmacologically restoring the tissue tension. This raises the possibility that APC mutations may exert pathogenetic effects by altering tissue mechanics.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2023

Spatial and Temporal Coordination of Force-generating Actin-based Modules Drives Membrane Remodeling In Vivo

Membrane remodeling drives a broad spectrum of cellular functions, and it is regulated through mechanical forces exerted on the membrane by cytoplasmic complexes. Here, we investigate how actin filaments dynamically tune their structure to control the active transfer of membranes between cellular compartments with distinct compositions and biophysical properties. Using intravital subcellular microscopy in live rodents we show that: a lattice composed of linear filaments stabilizes the granule membrane after fusion with the plasma membrane; and a network of branched filaments linked to the membranes by Ezrin, a regulator of membrane tension, initiates and drives to completion the integration step. Our results highlight how the actin cytoskeleton tunes its structure to adapt to dynamic changes in the biophysical properties of membranes.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2023

Pre-existing tissue mechanical hypertension at adherens junctions disrupts apoptotic extrusion in epithelia

Apical extrusion is a tissue-intrinsic process that allows epithelia to eliminate unfit or surplus cells. This is exemplified by the early extrusion of apoptotic cells, which is critical to maintain the epithelial barrier and prevent inflammation. Apoptotic extrusion is an active mechanical process, which involves mechanotransduction between apoptotic cells and their neighbours, as well as local changes in tissue mechanics. Here we report that the pre-existing mechanical tension at adherens junctions conditions the efficacy of apoptotic extrusion. Specifically, increasing baseline mechanical tension by overexpression of a phosphomimetic Myosin II regulatory light chain (MRLC) compromises apoptotic extrusion. This occurs when tension is increased in either the apoptotic cell or its surrounding epithelium. Further, we find that the pro-inflammatory cytokine, TNF, stimulates Myosin II and increases baseline AJ tension to disrupt apical extrusion, causing apoptotic cells to be retained in monolayers. Importantly, reversal of mechanical tension with an inhibitory MRLC mutant or tropomyosin inhibitors is sufficient to restore apoptotic extrusion in TNF-treated monolayers. Together, these findings demonstrate that baseline levels of tissue tension are important determinants of apoptotic extrusion, which can potentially be co-opted by pathogenetic factors to disrupt the homeostatic response of epithelia to apoptosis.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2022

Precision super-resolution cryo-correlative light and electron microscopy for rapid in situ structural analyses of optogenetically-positioned organelles

Unambiguous targeting of cellular structures for in situ cryo-electron microscopy in the heterogeneous, dense, and compacted environment of the cytoplasm remains challenging. Here we have developed a novel cryogenic correlative light and electron microscopy (cryo-CLEM) workflow which combines thin cells grown on a mechanically defined substratum to rapidly analyse organelles and macromolecular complexes in the cell by cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET). We coupled these advancements with optogenetics to redistribute perinuclear-localised organelles to the cell periphery for cryo-ET. This reliable and robust workflow allows for fast in situ analyses without the requirement for cryo-focused ion beam milling. We have developed a protocol where cells can be frozen, imaged by cryo-fluorescence microscopy and ready for batch cryo-ET within a day.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2022

βIII-Tubulin is a Brake on Extrinsic Cell-Death in Pancreatic Cancer

The microtubule protein, {beta}III-tubulin, has been implicated as a prognostic, pro-survival, and chemoresistance factor in some of the most lethal malignancies including pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). However, precise survival mechanisms controlled by {beta}III-tubulin in cancer cells are unknown. Here, we report an unexpected role of {beta}III-tubulin as a brake on extrinsic caspase 8-dependent apoptosis in PDAC. We show that {beta}III-tubulin knockdown frees death-receptor DR5 to increase its membrane diffusion, clustering, and activation of cell-death. We demonstrate that {beta}III-ubulin silencing increases sensitivity of PDAC cells to chemotherapeutic and microenvironment-derived extrinsic cell-death signals including TRAIL, TNF, and FasL. Finally, nanoparticle delivery of {beta}III-tubulin siRNA to mouse orthotopic PDAC tumours in vivo and human patient-derived PDAC tumour explants ex vivo increases extrinsic apoptosis and reduces tumour progression. Thus, silencing of {beta}III-tubulin represents an innovative strategy to unleash a suicide signal in PDAC cells and render them sensitive to microenvironment and chemotherapy-derived death signals.

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2021

Platelet generation from circulating megakaryocytes is triggered in the lung vasculature

Platelets, small hemostatic blood cells, are derived from megakaryocytes, although the generation process is not clear. Only small numbers of platelets have been produced in systems outside the body, where bone marrow and lung are proposed as sites of platelet generation. Here we show that perfusion of megakaryocytes ex vivo through the mouse lung vasculature generates very large numbers of platelets, up to 3,000 per megakaryocyte. Despite their large size, megakaryocytes were able repeatedly to passage through the lung vasculature, leading to enucleation and fragmentation to generate platelets intravascularly. Using the ex vivo lung and a novel in vitro microfluidic chamber we determined the contributions of oxygenation, ventilation and endothelial cell health to platelet generation, and showed a critical role for the actin regulator TPM4. One-Sentence SummaryMegakaryocytes form platelets intravascularly in the lung, dependent upon oxygenation, endothelium and megakaryocyte TPM4

physiology↗

bioRxiv2020

Induction of Muscle Regenerative Multipotent Stem Cells from Human Adipocytes by PDGF-AB and 5-Azacytidine.

Terminally differentiated murine osteocytes and adipocytes can be reprogrammed using platelet-derived growth factor-AB and 5-Azacytidine into multipotent stem cells with stromal cell characteristics. To generate a product that is amenable for therapeutic application, we have modified and optimised culture conditions to reprogram human adipocytes into induced multipotent stem cells (iMS) and expand them in vitro. The basal transcriptomes of adipocyte-derived iMS cells and matched adipose-tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells were remarkably similar. However, there were distinct changes in histone modifications and CpG methylation at cis-regulatory regions consistent with an epigenetic landscape that was primed for tissue development and differentiation. In a non-specific tissue injury xenograft model, iMS cells contributed directly to new muscle, bone, cartilage and blood vessels with no evidence of teratogenic potential. In a cardiotoxin muscle injury model, iMS cells contributed specifically to satellite cells and myofibres without ectopic tissue formation. Taken together, human adipocyte derived iMS cells regenerate tissues in a context dependent manner without ectopic or neoplastic growth.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2019

Tropomyosin Tpm3.1 is required to maintain the structure and function of the axon initial segment

The axon initial segment (AIS) is the site of action potential initiation and serves as a vesicular filter and diffusion barrier that help maintain neuronal polarity. Recent studies have revealed details about a specialized structural complex in the AIS. While an intact actin cytoskeleton is required for AIS formation, pharmacological disruption of actin polymerization compromises the AIS vesicle filter but does not affect overall AIS structure. In this study, we found that the tropomyosin isoform Tpm3.1 decorates a population of relatively stable actin filaments in the AIS. Inhibiting Tpm3.1 in cultured hippocampal neurons led to the loss of AIS structure, the AIS vesicle filter, the clustering of sodium ion channels, and reduced firing frequency. We propose that Tpm3.1-decorated actin filaments form a stable actin filament network under the AIS membrane which provides a scaffold for membrane organization and AIS proteins.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2019

Impairments in contractility and cytoskeletal organisation cause nuclear defects in nemaline myopathy

Nemaline myopathy (NM) is a genetically heterogeneous skeletal muscle disorder caused by mutations predominately affecting contractile filaments, in particular thin filament structure and/or regulation. The underlying cellular pathophysiology of this disease remains largely unclear. Here, we report novel pathological defects in skeletal muscle fibres of mice and patients with NM, including disrupted nuclear envelope, altered chromatin arrangement, and disorganisation of the cortical cytoskeleton. We demonstrate that such nuclear defects are caused by impairment of muscle fibre contractility, and that cytoskeletal organisation determines nuclear morphology. Our results overlap with findings in diseases caused by mutations in nuclear envelope or cytoskeletal proteins. Given the important role of nuclear shape and envelope in regulating gene expression, and the cytoskeleton in maintaining muscle fibre integrity, our findings are likely to underlie some of the hallmarks of NM, which include broad transcriptional alterations, arrested muscle fibre growth, contractile filament disarray and altered mechanical properties.

cell biology↗