Introduction Cells can sense and respond to the mechanical microenvironment by converting forces into biochemical signals inside the cells,i.e.mechanotransduction<sup>[1-3]</sup>.Focal adhesions are the ma...Introduction Cells can sense and respond to the mechanical microenvironment by converting forces into biochemical signals inside the cells,i.e.mechanotransduction<sup>[1-3]</sup>.Focal adhesions are the major sites of interaction between a cell and its extracellular matrix（ECM）microenvironment,thus outside mechanical signals can be sensed at focal adhesions through transmembrane receptor integrins.In particular,it has been shown that matrix elasticity can control the cell fate<sup>[4]</sup>by modulating the interactions between ECM proteins and their receptor integrins<sup>[5,6]</sup>.For example,different rigidity of polyacrylamide（PA）gels can lead to different density of ECM ancho-展开更多
Tumor-initiating cells(TICs)are a highly tumorigenic subpopulation of solid tumor cells that play a critical role in the initiation of cancer~[1].These tumorigenic cells resist conventional chemotherapeutic drug treat...Tumor-initiating cells(TICs)are a highly tumorigenic subpopulation of solid tumor cells that play a critical role in the initiation of cancer~[1].These tumorigenic cells resist conventional chemotherapeutic drug treatment and are assumed to be playing major roles in cancer relapses after chemotherapy~[2].However,the notion of TICs has been rather controversial.A report shows that a high percentage(】25%)of human melanoma cells can generate a tumor in a NOD-SCID interleukin-2 receptor gamma chain null mouse~[3],suggesting that there is no clonal development of solid tumors,refuting the idea of TICs.We recently developed a method of isolating TICs from cancer cell lines by culturing single individual cells of B16-F1(a melanoma cell line)into 3D soft fibrin gels~[4].In addition to being able to generate local tumors in a展开更多
Despite significant progress in cancer research during the past decades,yet there are no major breakthroughs that can be translated into major benefits for the general public in terms of treatment or therapy for the c...Despite significant progress in cancer research during the past decades,yet there are no major breakthroughs that can be translated into major benefits for the general public in terms of treatment or therapy for the complex neoplastic diseases,especially for the malignant solid tumors.This depressing but indisputable fact leads to a call for new ideas to target tumor metastasis by editors of Nature Medicine<sup>[1]</sup>.The real problems are that the fundamental issues of transformation and malignancy in vivo are poorly understood.In a recent review on cancer,展开更多
Understanding the mechanism of gastrulation-the early phase in embryonic development where the blastula loses its symmetry and forms organized germ layers（i.e.endoderm,mesoderm,and ectoderm）-has long been a major ch...Understanding the mechanism of gastrulation-the early phase in embryonic development where the blastula loses its symmetry and forms organized germ layers（i.e.endoderm,mesoderm,and ectoderm）-has long been a major challenge to the field of developmental biology.A long standing objective in developmental biology is not only to direct the differentiation of ESCs into specific developmental lineages,but also to organize these differentiated lineages into spatially distinct arrangements resembling the physiological gastrulation.In vivo,research on embryo morphogenesis in lower animals has demonstrated the importance of mechanical forces<sup>[1-3]</sup>.In vitro,experiments of self-sorting utilize pairwise sorting assays where two types of differentiated germ cells are homogeneously mixed<sup>[4]</sup>.It has not been possible to study the or-展开更多
基金supported in part by NIH HL098472NSF CBET0846429
文摘Introduction Cells can sense and respond to the mechanical microenvironment by converting forces into biochemical signals inside the cells,i.e.mechanotransduction<sup>[1-3]</sup>.Focal adhesions are the major sites of interaction between a cell and its extracellular matrix（ECM）microenvironment,thus outside mechanical signals can be sensed at focal adhesions through transmembrane receptor integrins.In particular,it has been shown that matrix elasticity can control the cell fate<sup>[4]</sup>by modulating the interactions between ECM proteins and their receptor integrins<sup>[5,6]</sup>.For example,different rigidity of polyacrylamide（PA）gels can lead to different density of ECM ancho-
基金supported by the funds from Huazhong University of Science and TechnologyUS NIH grant GM072744
文摘Tumor-initiating cells(TICs)are a highly tumorigenic subpopulation of solid tumor cells that play a critical role in the initiation of cancer~[1].These tumorigenic cells resist conventional chemotherapeutic drug treatment and are assumed to be playing major roles in cancer relapses after chemotherapy~[2].However,the notion of TICs has been rather controversial.A report shows that a high percentage(】25%)of human melanoma cells can generate a tumor in a NOD-SCID interleukin-2 receptor gamma chain null mouse~[3],suggesting that there is no clonal development of solid tumors,refuting the idea of TICs.We recently developed a method of isolating TICs from cancer cell lines by culturing single individual cells of B16-F1(a melanoma cell line)into 3D soft fibrin gels~[4].In addition to being able to generate local tumors in a
基金supported by the funds from Huazhong University of Science and TechnologyUS NIH grant GM072744
文摘Despite significant progress in cancer research during the past decades,yet there are no major breakthroughs that can be translated into major benefits for the general public in terms of treatment or therapy for the complex neoplastic diseases,especially for the malignant solid tumors.This depressing but indisputable fact leads to a call for new ideas to target tumor metastasis by editors of Nature Medicine<sup>[1]</sup>.The real problems are that the fundamental issues of transformation and malignancy in vivo are poorly understood.In a recent review on cancer,
基金supported by the funds from Huazhong University of Science and TechnologyUS NIH grant GM072744
文摘Understanding the mechanism of gastrulation-the early phase in embryonic development where the blastula loses its symmetry and forms organized germ layers（i.e.endoderm,mesoderm,and ectoderm）-has long been a major challenge to the field of developmental biology.A long standing objective in developmental biology is not only to direct the differentiation of ESCs into specific developmental lineages,but also to organize these differentiated lineages into spatially distinct arrangements resembling the physiological gastrulation.In vivo,research on embryo morphogenesis in lower animals has demonstrated the importance of mechanical forces<sup>[1-3]</sup>.In vitro,experiments of self-sorting utilize pairwise sorting assays where two types of differentiated germ cells are homogeneously mixed<sup>[4]</sup>.It has not been possible to study the or-
