Long-term observations reveal the formation process of branching systems of the genus in Bambusoideae.

Clarifying the endogenous processes that construct gross aerial shapes such as branching architecture in plants is crucial to understanding how branching contributes to plant adaptation to environments. Architectural analysis is powerful in decomposing the branching process, by comparing observations of plant growth among closely related taxa. The genus (Gramineae: Bambusoideae) contains three major sections , and These sections exhibit characteristic branching architectures and are distributed separately across the Japanese archipelago, in relation to macroclimatic conditions such as snow accumulation.

Role of ATF5 in the invasive potential of diverse human cancer cell lines.

Activating transcription factor 5 (ATF5) is a member of the ATF/cAMP response element-binding protein family. Our research group recently revealed that ATF5 expression increases the invasiveness of human lung carcinoma cells. However, the effects of ATF5 on the invasive potential of other cancer cells lines remain unclear.

Heterogeneous filament network formation by myosin light chain isoforms effects on contractile energy output of single cardiomyocytes derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells.

Cardiomyocytes derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC-CMs) are expected to play an important role in heart therapies, in which hiPSC-CMs should generate sufficient contractile force to pump blood. However, recent studies have shown that the contractility of myocardial mimics composed of hiPSC-CMs is lower than that of adult human myocardium. To examine the mechanism by which contractile force output of hiPSC-CMs is weakened, we measured the contractile force of single hiPSC-CMs and observed the fibrous distribution of myosin II regulatory light chain (MRLC) of cardiac (contributes to beating) and non-cardiac (does not contribute to beating) isoforms.

Data set for comparison of cellular dynamics between human AAVS1 locus-modified and wild-type cells.

This data article describes cellular dynamics, such as migration speed and mobility of the cytoskeletal protein, of wild-type human fibroblast cells and cells with a modified adeno-associated virus integration site 1 (AAVS1) locus on human chromosome 19. Insertion of exogenous gene into the AAVS1 locus has been conducted in recent biological researches. Previously, our data showed that the AAVS1-modification changes cellular contractile force (Mizutani et al.

Three-dimensional morphogenesis of MDCK cells induced by cellular contractile forces on a viscous substrate.

Substrate physical properties are essential for many physiological events such as embryonic development and 3D tissue formation. Physical properties of the extracellular matrix such as viscoelasticity and geometrical constraints are understood as factors that affect cell behaviour. In this study, we focused on the relationship between epithelial cell 3D morphogenesis and the substrate viscosity.

Transgene integration into the human AAVS1 locus enhances myosin II-dependent contractile force by reducing expression of myosin binding subunit 85.

The adeno-associated virus site 1 (AAVS1) locus in the human genome is a strong candidate for gene therapy by insertion of an exogenous gene into the locus. The AAVS1 locus includes the coding region for myosin binding subunit 85 (MBS85). Although the function of MBS85 is not well understood, myosin II-dependent contractile force may be affected by altered expression of MBS85.

Filamin B Enhances the Invasiveness of Cancer Cells into 3D Collagen Matrices.

Numerous types of cancer cells migrate into extracellular tissues. This phenomenon is termed invasion, and is associated with poor prognosis in cancer patients. In this study, we demonstrated that filamin B (FLNb), an actin-binding protein, is highly expressed in cancer cell lines that exhibit high invasiveness, with a spindle morphology, into 3D collagen matrices.

Compressive stress induces dephosphorylation of the myosin regulatory light chain via RhoA phosphorylation by the adenylyl cyclase/protein kinase A signaling pathway.

Mechanical stress that arises due to deformation of the extracellular matrix (ECM) either stretches or compresses cells. The cellular response to stretching has been actively studied. For example, stretching induces phosphorylation of the myosin regulatory light chain (MRLC) via the RhoA/RhoA-associated protein kinase (ROCK) pathway, resulting in increased cellular tension.

Leader cells regulate collective cell migration via Rac activation in the downstream signaling of integrin β1 and PI3K.

Collective cell migration plays a crucial role in several biological processes, such as embryonic development, wound healing, and cancer metastasis. Here, we focused on collectively migrating Madin-Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK) epithelial cells that follow a leader cell on a collagen gel to clarify the mechanism of collective cell migration. First, we removed a leader cell from the migrating collective with a micromanipulator.

Epithelial sheet folding induces lumen formation by Madin-Darby canine kidney cells in a collagen gel.

Lumen formation is important for morphogenesis; however, an unanswered question is whether it involves the collective migration of epithelial cells. Here, using a collagen gel overlay culture method, we show that Madin-Darby canine kidney cells migrated collectively and formed a luminal structure in a collagen gel. Immediately after the collagen gel overlay, an epithelial sheet folded from the periphery, migrated inwardly, and formed a luminal structure.

An improved method for western blotting when extracting proteins from mammalian cells cultured on a collagen gel under serum-free conditions.

Western blotting is a widely used method for detection and quantification of specific proteins extracted from mammalian cells. In the conventional method of protein extraction, we found that collagen-containing gels interfered with detection of the p65 protein (one of the subunits in the NF-κB family of proteins) in human lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells cultured on a collagen gel containing serum. In contrast, the collagen gels did not affect detection of the GAPDH protein.

Modulation of extracellular conditions prevents the multilayering of the simple epithelium.

Simple epitheliums in normal glandular systems are regulated not to stratify even though the constituent cells proliferate and will rise from the epithelium. Since epithelial cells have the potential to establish cell-cell adhesions, the avoidance of stratification must be related to the intracellular signal cascades and the extracellular conditions. The contributions of the former are becoming clarified, but the influence of the latter is poorly understood.

Substrate stiffness regulates temporary NF-κB activation via actomyosin contractions.

Physical properties of the extracellular matrix (ECM) can control cellular phenotypes via mechanotransduction, which is the process of translation of mechanical stresses into biochemical signals. While current research is clarifying the relationship between mechanotransduction and cytoskeleton or adhesion complexes, the contribution of transcription factors to mechanotransduction is not well understood. The results of this study revealed that the transcription factor NF-κB, a major regulator for immunoreaction and cancer progression, is responsive to substrate stiffness.

Lung cancer cells that survive ionizing radiation show increased integrin α2β1- and EGFR-dependent invasiveness.

Ionizing radiation (IR)-enhanced tumor invasiveness is emerging as a contributor to the limited benefit of radiotherapy; however, its mechanism is still unclear. We previously showed that subcloned lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells (P cells), which survived 10 Gy IR (IR cells), acquired high invasiveness in vitro. Here, we tried to identify the mechanism by which IR cells increase their invasiveness by examining altered gene expression and signaling pathways in IR cells compared with those in P cells.

Irradiation-tolerant lung cancer cells acquire invasive ability dependent on dephosphorylation of the myosin regulatory light chain.

Radiotherapy is one of the major treatment modalities for malignancies. However, cells surviving irradiation often display high levels of invasiveness. This study shows that irradiation-tolerant lung adenocarcinoma demonstrates high invasive capability depending on dephosphorylation of the myosin regulatory light chain (MRLC).

Active fluctuation in the cortical cytoskeleton observed by high-speed live-cell scanning probe microscopy.

We investigated the dynamics of the cortical cytoskeleton in living cells by analyzing the motion of the endogenous components of the cytoskeleton using scanning probe microscopy (SPM). We performed molecular characterization of the microgranules visualized by SPM in living cells and analyzed the motion of these microgranules via particle tracking. Simultaneous SPM and epifluorescence microscopy observations showed that the microgranules recruited not only actin but also cortactin, which can bind to actin filaments.

Nano-mechanical properties of living cells expressing constitutively active RhoA effectors.

Filamentous actin and myosin-II are major determinants of cell mechanics and are tightly regulated by a small guanosine triphosphatase, RhoA, and its downstream effectors. We examined the effects of constitutively active mutants of RhoA effectors, which have not been reported before, on cortical stiffness of living cells by using scanning probe microscopy, fluorescence microscopy, and truncated mutants of RhoA effectors labeled with a fluorescent protein. Our data indicated that expression of a constitutively active mutant of Dia1, a formin-family actin polymerizer, enhanced cortical stiffness and increased actin filament quantity in cells.

Intermediate structure between chromatin fibers and chromosome revealed by mechanical stretching and SPM measurement.

The morphology of chromosomes (certain rod-shaped structures) is highly reproducible despite the high condensation of chromatin fibers (∼1 mm) into chromosomes (∼1 μm). However, the mechanism underlying the condensation of chromatin fibers into chromosomes is unclear. We assume that investigation of the internal structure of chromosomes will aid in elucidating the condensation process.

Integrin beta1-dependent invasive migration of irradiation-tolerant human lung adenocarcinoma cells in 3D collagen matrix.

Radiotherapy is one of the effective therapies used for treating various malignant tumors. However, the emergence of tolerant cells after irradiation remains problematic due to their high metastatic ability, sometimes indicative of poor prognosis. In this study, we showed that subcloned human lung adenocarcinoma cells (A549P-3) that are irradiation-tolerant indicate high invasive activity in vitro, and exhibit an integrin beta1 activity-dependent migratory pattern.

Dynamics of leading lamellae of living fibroblasts visualized by high-speed scanning probe microscopy.

In this study, we aimed at improving the temporal resolution of scanning probe microscopy (SPM) for observing living cells by introducing soft cantilevers, low feedback-gain operations, and cantilever deflection imaging. We achieved visualization of the mechanical architecture in leading lamellae of living fibroblasts at a temporal resolution of around 10 s, which is higher than that of conventional contact-mode SPM. Time-lapse SPM could be used to monitor not only cytoskeletal dynamics but also the dynamics of numerous microgranules.

Regulation of cellular contractile force in response to mechanical stretch by diphosphorylation of myosin regulatory light chain via RhoA signaling cascade.

Fibroblasts regulate their contractile force in response to external stretch; however, the detailed mechanism by which the force is regulated is unclear. Here, we show that diphosphorylation and dephosphorylation of myosin regulatory light chain (MRLC) are involved in the stretch-induced force response. Cellular stiffness, which reflects the cellular contractile force, under external stretch was measured by mechanical-scanning probe microscopy.

Novel function of transcription factor ATF5: blockade of p53-dependent apoptosis induced by ionizing irradiation.

Purpose: To find a new molecule that affects p53-dependent radiosensitivity.

Methods And Materials: A mouse sarcoma cell line, QRsP(p53+/+), was used. From this cell line, we established a radiosensitive clone and a radioresistant one.

Wide range scanning probe microscopy for probing mechanical effects on cellular function.

Scanning probe microscopy (SPM) provides a range of strategies for studying biological phenomena due to its ability to image surfaces under liquids. However, some cellular events, such as cell migration, exceed the maximum measurable range of SPM. Recently, we have developed a wide range scanning probe microscope (WR-SPM) to investigate cellular events which exceed the range of the conventional SPM.

Mechanical response of single myoblasts to various stretching patterns visualized by scanning probe microscopy.

The mechanical memory effect of single cells was reported in our recent study. In order to clarify this effect, various sequential stimuli of uniaxial deformation were applied to cells by deformable culture dishes and a deformation device, and the local stiffness distribution of single C2C12 myoblasts was visualized by scanning probe microscopy. Following a single step stretching, cellular stiffness first increased steeply and then gradually decreased for two hours.