Biology subjects

Thomas, I.

Publications and source records attributed to Thomas, I..

5 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Rapid actin filament turnover maintains cortical connectivity while allowing for cell cortex deformation and flow

Cells harness the actomyosin contractility of the cell cortex to drive rapid cellular deformations and intracellular flows during cell polarization, migration, and division. To sustain contractile network architectures while allowing for network deformation and remodeling, the balance of actin filament assembly and disassembly must be finely tuned, but how this is coordinated in the cell remains obscure. Here, we combine quantitative measurements and manipulations of filament assembly and disassembly rates with live imaging of network contractility dynamics in the C. elegans zygote to identify co-dependencies between assembly rates, disassembly rates, and large-scale deformations of the cortical actin network. We find that strong reductions in either filament assembly or disassembly rates both result in actin cortex collapse, but each perturbation has distinct effects on actin cortex and cell membrane dynamics. These findings demonstrate that rapid turnover, involving tightly coordinated assembly and disassembly, allows the cortex to maintain a connected architecture while undergoing rapid deformation and coherent flow.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2026

Scalable longitudinal imaging and transcriptomics of cells in dynamic enclosures

Dynamic transitions between cell states underlie both normal physiology and disease. However, most single-cell technologies capture only static snapshots. To address this gap, we developed a platform that integrates light-guided hydrogel polymerization with computer vision to generate on-demand compartments around live cells, enabling longitudinal imaging of cellular behavior paired with whole-transcriptome profiling of the same cells at scale. These data link dynamic phenotypes with molecular programs, enabling deeper characterization of cellular states. This approach revealed an adaptive, drug-resistant state in lung cancer cells characterized by potassium channel upregulation and p53-dependent quiescence. In models of adipogenesis and microglial phagocytosis, joint analysis of imaging and transcriptomic data identified key drivers of cellular function that were missed by transcriptomic clustering alone. These results establish the value of paired functional and transcriptomic analysis to resolve molecular drivers of complex cellular behaviors.

systems biology↗

bioRxiv2018

Efficient single-copy HDR by 5’ modified long dsDNA donors

CRISPR/Cas9 efficiently induces targeted mutations via non-homologous-end-joining but for genome editing, precise, homology-directed repair (HDR) of endogenous DNA stretches is a prerequisite. To favor HDR, many approaches interfere with the repair machinery or manipulate Cas9 itself. Using Medaka we show that the modification of 5 ends of long dsDNA donors strongly enhances HDR, favors efficient single-copy integration by retaining a monomeric donor conformation thus facilitating successful gene replacement or tagging.

genetics↗

bioRxiv2018

Bigger and Better? Representativeness of the Influenza A surveillance using one consolidated clinical microbiology laboratory data set as compared to the Belgian Sentinel Network of Laboratories

Infectious diseases remain a serious public health concern globally, while the need for reliable and representative surveillance systems remains as acute as ever. The public health surveillance of infectious diseases uses reported positive results from sentinel clinical laboratories or laboratory networks, to survey the presence of specific microbial agents known to constitute a threat to public health in a given population. This monitoring activity is commonly based on a representative fraction of the microbiology laboratories nationally reporting to a single central reference point. However in recent years a number of clinical microbiology laboratories (CML) have undergone a process of consolidation involving a shift towards laboratory amalgamation and closer real-time informational linkage. This report aims to investigate whether such merging activities might have a potential impact on infectious diseases surveillance. Influenza data was used from Belgian public health surveillance 2014-2017, to evaluate whether national infection trends could be estimated equally as effectively from only just one centralised CML serving the wider Brussels area (LHUB-ULB). The overall comparison reveals that there is a close correlation and representativeness of the LHUB-ULB data to the national and international data for the same time periods, both on epidemiological and molecular grounds. Notably, the effectiveness of the LHUB-ULB surveillance remains partially subject to local regional variations. These results illustrate that centralised CML-derived data are not only credible but also advantageous to use for future surveillance and prediction purposes, especially for automatic detection systems that might include multiple layers of information and timely implementation of control strategies.

epidemiology↗

bioRxiv2017

Hox-logic of preadaptations for social insect symbiosis in rove beetles

How symbiotic lifestyles evolve from free-living ecologies is poorly understood. In Metazoas largest family, Staphylinidae (rove beetles), numerous lineages have evolved obligate behavioral symbioses with ants or termites. Widespread convergence of this lifestyle is thought to stem from a novel, chemically defended body plan that enables free-living species to infiltrate colonies and undergo extreme evolutionary specialization. Here we show how this innovative body plan evolved, via new Hox functions in staphylinids that remodeled the coleopteran groundplan. Using a model staphylinid, Dalotia coriaria, we reveal the Hox basis for changes in thoracic appendage morphology that shortened the beetle elytron and left the abdomen physically unprotected, selecting for an abdominal defense gland that was likely key to unlocking ant and termite societies. We present evidence that the gland evolved through a novel, combinatorial role of the abdominal Hox proteins AbdA and AbdB. These proteins function together to specify distinct gland cell types in neighboring segmental compartments, each cell type synthesizing a different class of compound--irritant, ester and solvent. Only when secreted together do these compounds constitute a bioactive secretion, providing an example of emergent chemical functionality that arises from synergy between individual gland cell types. Hox-controlled specification of glandular diversity implies a modularity in compound biosynthesis that likely catalyzed the evolvability of rove beetle chemistry, including the capacity of symbiotic taxa to produce potent compounds for host deception. This study reveals how Hox-controlled body axis modifications predispose a major animal to convergently evolve into symbionts.

evolutionary biology↗