Engineered human iPS cell models reveal altered podocytogenesis and glomerular capillary wall in CHD-associated mutations.

Early developmental programming involves extensive cell lineage diversification through shared molecular signaling networks. Clinical observations of congenital heart disease (CHD) patients carrying genetic variants revealed correlations with multi-organ impairments at the developmental and functional levels. For example, many CHD patients present with glomerulosclerosis, periglomerular fibrosis, and albuminuria.

Kidney Disease Modeling with Organoids and Organs-on-Chips.

Kidney disease is a global health crisis affecting more than 850 million people worldwide. In the United States, annual Medicare expenditures for kidney disease and organ failure exceed $81 billion. Efforts to develop targeted therapeutics are limited by a poor understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying human kidney disease onset and progression.

Hydrogel nanosheets confined 2D rhombic ice: a new platform enhancing chondrogenesis.

Nanoconfinement within flexible interfaces is a key step towards exploiting confinement effects in several biological and technological systems wherein flexible 2D materials are frequently utilized but are arduous to prepare. Hitherto unreported, the synthesis of 2D hydrogel nanosheets (HNSs) using a template- and catalyst-free process is developed representing a fertile ground for fundamental structure-property investigations. In due course of time, nucleating folds propagating along the edges trigger co-operative deformations of HNS generating regions of nanoconfinement within trapped water islands.

A Biomimetic Electrospun Membrane Supports the Differentiation and Maturation of Kidney Epithelium from Human Stem Cells.

Podocytes derived from human induced pluripotent stem (hiPS) cells are enabling studies of kidney development and disease. However, many of these studies are carried out in traditional tissue culture plates that do not accurately recapitulate the molecular and mechanical features necessary for modeling tissue- and organ-level functionalities. Overcoming these limitations requires the design and application of tunable biomaterial scaffolds.

Lysinibacillus macroides-mediated control of cellulose-producing morphotype of Salmonella.

Background: Soil-dwelling human pathogens like Salmonella are transmitted by fresh produce such as tomato, spinach, onion and cabbage. With >2600 serovars, it is difficult to classify the good plant colonizers from the non-colonizers. Generally, soil microbiota are classified as autochthonous or zymogenous organisms, based on their ability to survive in soil.

SARS-CoV-2 Employ BSG/CD147 and ACE2 Receptors to Directly Infect Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Kidney Podocytes.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which has resulted in over 5.9 million deaths worldwide. While cells in the respiratory system are the initial target of SARS-CoV-2, there is mounting evidence that COVID-19 is a multi-organ disease.

Adriamycin-Induced Podocyte Injury Disrupts the YAP-TEAD1 Axis and Downregulates Cyr61 and CTGF Expression.

The most severe forms of kidney diseases are often associated with irreversible damage to the glomerular podocytes, the highly specialized epithelial cells that encase glomerular capillaries and regulate the removal of toxins and waste from the blood. Several studies revealed significant changes to podocyte cytoskeletal structure during disease onset, suggesting possible roles of cellular mechanosensing in podocyte responses to injury. Still, this topic remains underexplored partly due to the lack of appropriate models that closely recapitulate human podocyte biology.

BSG/CD147 and ACE2 receptors facilitate SARS-CoV-2 infection of human iPS cell-derived kidney podocytes.

Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) in March 2020. The disease has caused more than 5.1 million deaths worldwide.

A Personalized Glomerulus Chip Engineered from Stem Cell-Derived Epithelium and Vascular Endothelium.

Progress in understanding kidney disease mechanisms and the development of targeted therapeutics have been limited by the lack of functional in vitro models that can closely recapitulate human physiological responses. Organ Chip (or organ-on-a-chip) microfluidic devices provide unique opportunities to overcome some of these challenges given their ability to model the structure and function of tissues and organs in vitro. Previously established organ chip models typically consist of heterogenous cell populations sourced from multiple donors, limiting their applications in patient-specific disease modeling and personalized medicine.

Harnessing developmental plasticity to pattern kidney organoids.

Methods for deriving the ureteric epithelium (UE) in vitro could improve understanding of kidney development and patterning. In this issue of Cell Stem Cell, Howden et al. (2021) identified transcriptionally distinct cell populations in human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived distal nephron (DN) epithelia that were inducible to UE phenotype within kidney organoids.

Graphene Quantum Dots in the Game of Directing Polymer Self-Assembly to Exotic Kagome Lattice and Janus Nanostructures.

Graphene quantum dots (GQDs) are the harbingers of a paradigm shift that revitalize self-assembly of the colloidal puzzle by adding shape and size to the material-design palette. Although self-assembly is ubiquitous in nature, the extent to which these molecular legos can be engineered reminds us that we are still apprenticing polymer carpenters. In this quest to unlock exotic nanostructures ascending from eventual anisotropy, we have utilized different concentrations of GQDs as a filler in free-radical-mediated aqueous copolymerization.