Plusieurs méthodes de capture antigénique ont été décrites dans l’intestin grêle, surtout en cas d’infection: échantillonnage direct par les cellules dendritiques (DC), capture par les macrophages qui délivrent ensuite l’antigène aux DC du stroma, passage des antigènes à travers les cellules caliciformes. Des travaux antérieurs in vitro dans le laboratoire ont montré l’importance de la myosine IIA dans la coordination de la migration des DC avec la capture et de l’apprêtement antigénique. L’objectif de ma thèse était de combiner plusieurs méthodes d’imagerie telle que la microscopie intravitale, la microscopie confocale ex vivo et l’immunofluorescence sur tissus à la cytométrie en flux pour déterminer l’impact de la myosine IIA sur la capture antigénique in vivo. Cette étude montre que les DC patrouillent en permanence dans l’épithélium de l’intestin grêle, y compris hors conditions infectieuses. Elles sont recrutées dans la lamina propria (LP) et pénètrent dans l’épithélium par transmigration à travers la membrane basale qui sépare ces deux compartiments. La myosine IIA est indispensable à la transmigration de CD103+CD11b+DC. Ces événements de transmigration surviennent plus fréquemment dans les parties proximales de l’intestin grêle, duodénum and jéjunum, que dans l’iléon. Chez les souris adultes, ces DC ne sont pas recrutées sous l’influence du microbiote mais sont sensibles au rétinal, un métabolite de la vitamine A qu’elles transforment en une molécule active l’acide trans-rétinoïque (AtRA). D’après notre analyse transcriptomique, les DC intra-épithéliales constituent une population homogène dont le profil est distinct de celui de leurs homologues de la LP. Elles sont enrichies en ARN des voies liées à l’apprêtement antigénique, l’autophagie et les lysosomes. Ces résultats suggèrent qu’elles ont une fonction différente des CD103+CD11b+DC de la LP: elles n’agissent pas sur la prolifération ni la différenciation des lymphocytes T mais contrôlent spécifiquement l’effectif des lymphocytes intra-épithéliaux CD8+αβ. Ces découvertes reflètent l’importance de l’épithélium comme première ligne de défense contre les pathogènes. Elles soulèvent également de nouvelles questions concernant la régulation de la réponse immune dans l’épithélium et les interactions mutuelles entre la lumière intestinale, l’épithélium et le stroma des villosités. / Several routes for antigen capture have been described in the small intestine, mainly upon pathogenic infection: direct sampling by Dendritic Cells (DCs), sampling by macrophages that deliver antigens to DCs in the stroma, antigenic passage through goblet cells. Previous in vitro work in the lab showed that myosin IIA is essential to coordinate antigen uptake and processing with DC migration. The objective of my thesis was to combine several imaging methods including intravital microscopy, ex vivo confocal microscopy and immunofluorescence on gut tissue to flow cytometry in order to unravel the impact of myosin IIA on DC physiology in vivo. My work shows that CD103+CD11b+ DCs, which are unique to the gut, constantly patrol the epithelium of the small intestine at steady state: they are recruited from the lamina propria (LP) and penetrate into the epithelium by transmigrating through the basal membrane that separates these two compartments. DC transmigration requires myosin IIA in vivo. Remarkably, we found that DC transmigration into the epithelium occurs mainly in the upper parts of the small intestine, the duodenum and the jejunum, but is not observed in the ileum. DC transmigration does not require the gut microbiota but relies on retinal, a vitamin A metabolite of that they convert into its active form all-trans retinoic acid (AtRA). Strikingly, single cell RNA-seq showed that intra-epithelial CD103+CD11b+ DCs constitute a homogenous cell population with a distinct transcriptomic signature from their LP counterpart. They are enriched with RNA related to antigen presentation, autophagy and lysosome pathways. Our results further suggest that these cells have a different function from LP CD103+CD11b+ DCs, as they do not significantly impact proliferation or differentiation of T helper lymphocytes but control the CD8+αβ intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs) pool. These findings highlight the importance of the epithelial tissue as a first line of defense against pathogens in the upper parts of the small intestine. They also raise new questions about the regulation of the immune response in the epithelium and the mutual influences between lumen, epithelium and intestinal lamina propria.

Das Chemokine SDF-1α und sein Rezeptor CXCR4 sind in eine Vielzahl biologischer Prozesse, wie der Organogenese, der Hämatopoese und der Immunantwort involviert. Die Entdeckung des alternativen SDF-1α-Rezeptors CXCR7 bewirkte eine erneute Untersuchung der Funktion des SDF-1-Systems in diesen Vorgängen. CXCR7 ist in der Lage, je nach Gewebe- oder Zelltyp, als \'Scavenger\'-Rezeptor, Modulator des CXCR4 oder selbstständig aktiver Rezeptor zu agieren. In dieser Arbeit wurde untersucht, inwiefern beide Rezeptoren im Verlauf der Entwicklung der Muskulatur exprimiert werden, welche Aufgabe sie dabei übernehmen und ob sich Rückschlüsse auf die Muskelregeneration daraus ableiten lassen. Hierfür erfolgten in vitro-Untersuchungen an C2C12-Zellen und die anschließende Analyse der Expression von CXCR4, CXCR7 und SDF-1α in der sich entwickelnden Gliedmaßenmuskulatur von Wildtyp- und mdx-Mäusen. Die Untersuchung von C2C12-Zellen zeigte in allen Differenzierungsstadien eine detektierbare Menge von CXCR4 und eine zunehmende Expression des CXCR7. Die Behandlung der Zellen mit SDF-1α führte zu einer Phosphorylierung von Erk1/2 und PKCζ/λ und hemmte gleichzeitig deren Differenzierung. Nach einer Blockierung des CXCR4 mit seinem pharmakologischen Antagonist AMD3100 oder nach Hemmung der Expression durch spezifische siRNA blieb die Aktivierung des Signalweges aus und der hemmende Einfluss des SDF-1α auf die Differenzierung verschwand vollständig. Im Gegensatz dazu blieben nach der pharmakologischen Blockierung oder durch siRNA vermittelten Expressionshemmung des CXCR7 alle SDF-1α induzierten Effekte vollständig erhalten. Eine Untersuchung des Signalweges am dritten Tag der Differenzierung zeigte keine Aktivierung von Erk1/2. Ebenso blieb Erk1/2 nach einer Hemmung der Expression des CXCR4 unphosphoryliert. Im Gegensatz dazu fand nach einer Hemmung der Expression des CXCR7 mit spezifischer siRNA erneut eine Aktivierung des Signalweges statt. Weiterhin konnte in vivo festgestellt werden, dass die Expression des CXCR4 in der Muskulatur während der embryonalen Entwicklung am höchsten ist und bereits kurz nach der Geburt stark abnimmt, wenn die sekundäre Muskelentwicklung abgeschlossen ist. Die Expression des CXCR7 hingegen steigt perinatal an und bleibt bis zum Erwachsenenalter bestehen. Zusammengefasst zeigen diese Ergebnisse, dass CXCR4 aktiv das Signalgeschehen von SDF-1α in der Myogenese vermittelt und somit zur Differenzierungshemmung von Myoblasten beiträgt. CXCR7 hingegen wirkt als passiver SDF-1α-Scavenger und induziert somit durch eine Modulierung der extrazellulären SDF-1α-Konzentration die Differenzierung. In Übereinstimmung mit der Rolle des SDF-1α-Systems bei der Muskelentwicklung, konnte eine kontinuierliche SDF-1α- Expression im Bindegewebe um pränatale und im Endomysium von postnatalen und adulten Muskelfasern festgestellt werden. Diese SDF-1α-Expression stieg ebenso wie die CXCR4-Expression bei der Analyse der Muskulatur von dystrophin-defizienten Mäusen an und zeigte somit, dass dieses System auch für die Proliferation von Muskelvorläuferzellen in der regenerativen Muskulatur eine wichtige Rolle spielt. Bemerkenswerter Weise hatte diese Muskeldystrophie keinen Einfluss auf die Expression des CXCR7 und beeinflusst vermutlich dessen Funktion über einen anderen Mechanismus. Durch die offensichtlich enge Kontrolle von Muskelentwicklung und Regeneration durch CXCR4, CXCR7 und deren Liganden SDF-1α, bilden diese ein vielversprechendes therapeutisches Ziel für bestimmte Muskelerkrankungen. / The chemokine, SDF-1α, and its receptor, CXCR4, are assumed to control a multitude of biological processes such as organogenesis, haematopoesis, and immune responses. The previous demonstration that SDF-1α additionally binds to the chemokine receptor, CXCR7, currently urges a re-evaluation of the function of the SDF-1 system in these processes. In fact, depending on the tissue and cell type, CXCR7 either acts as a scavenger receptor, a modulator of CXCR4 or an independent active receptor. This thesis is dedicated to answer the following questions: Are both SDF-1α receptors expressed during muscle development? What is the actual function of these receptors during myogenesis? Is there a role of the SDF-1 system in muscle regeneration? To adress these issues both in vitro studies with the myoblast cell line, C2C12, as well as in vivo analyses on the expression of CXCR4, CXCR7 and SDF-1α in developing and regenerating limb muscles have been performed. At all stages of differentiation, C2C12 cells exhibited measurable amounts of CXCR4. In addition, in the course of differentiation C2C12 cells showed increasing expression levels of CXCR7. Treatment of the cells with SDF-1α resulted in the phosphorylation of Erk1/2 and PKCζ/λ and subsequently blocked their myogenic differentiation. Following inactivation of CXCR4 either by its antagonist, AMD3100, or by specific siRNA, SDF-1α failed to activate both pathways and in addition no longer inhibited the myogenic differentiation of C2C12 cells. By contrast, inactivation of CXCR7 remained without effects on SDF-1α-induced cell signalling and resulting inhibitory effects on myogenic differentiation. Interestingly, SDF-1α also failed to activate Erk1/2 signalling in differentiated C2C12 cells. Cell signalling in differentiated C2C12 cells was, however, restored following inhibition of CXCR7 expression, but not following inhibition of CXCR4 expression. The in vivo analysis further revealed that in limb muscles expression of the CXCR4 is highest during embryonic development with a decrease in expression levels shortly after birth when secondary muscle development is completed. Vice versa, expression levels of CXCR7 increased perinatally and remained high into adulthood. In summary, these findings unravel that CXCR4 actively mediates SDF-1α-signalling during myogenesis. The findings further provide evidence that CXCR7 acts as a scavenger receptor during myogenesis which controls myogenic differentiation by modulating extracellular SDF-1α concentration. In further agreement with a major role of SDF-1α in muscle development, SDF-1α is continously expressed by the endomysium of postnatal and adult muscle fibers. Moreover, expression of SDF-1α as well as CXCR4 is massively increased in muscles of dystrophin-deficient mice further implying that the SDF-1 system plays an equally important role during muscle development and regeneration. The pivotal role of SDF-1α in muscle development and regeneration points to the SDF-1 system as a promising therapeutical target for certain muscle diseases.

Les cellules neuroendocrines possèdent d’une part la voie de sécrétion constitutive, existant dans tous les types cellulaires, qui permet le renouvellement continu de la membrane plasmique et de la matrice extracellulaire, et d’autre part la voie de sécrétion régulée, spécifique aux cellules sécrétrices, qui permet la sécrétion d’hormones suite à la stimulation de la cellule. Les organites impliqués dans cette dernière voie sont des granules de sécrétion à cœur dense (GS), sui stockent les hormones ainsi que les glycoprotéines solubles, les granines. Parmi ces dernières, la chromogranine A (CgA) joue un rôle majeur dans la biogénèse des GS mais les mécanismes moléculaires ne sont pas clairement définis. Dans une lignée de cellules non-endocrines COS7 (dépourvues de granines et donc de voie de sécrétion régulée), mon équipe d’accueil a démontré que l’expression de la CgA induit la formation de vésicules présentant une structure et des fonctions caractéristiques des GS. L’analyse du protéome des GS purifiés à partir d’une lignée de cellules COS7 exprimant de manière stable la CgA (COS7-CgA) a révélé la présence de protéines liant les éléments du cytosquelette et le calcium. Durant ma thèse, nous avons focalisé notre attention sur la myosine 1b (myo1b), l’actine et le complexe de nucléation de l’actine Arp2/3 du fait de leur capacité à induire le bourgeonnement de compartiments post-golgiens dans des cellules non-endocrines. Nous avons montré (i) que la myo1b contrôle la formation des GS ainsi que la sécrétion régulée au sein des cellules COS7-CgA et des cellules neuroendocriniennes PC12, et (ii) que la myo1b et le complexe Arp2/3 permettent le recrutement d’actine fibrillaire dans la région golgienne et la formation des GS. Ces travaux montrent pour la première fois l’implication du complexe actomyosine dans la formation des GS. Afin d’identifier le lien moléculaire entre la CgA luminale et la myo1b cytosolique, nous avons recherché les interactions potentielles de la CgA avec les lipides de la membrane du réseau trans-golgien (TGN). Nous avons montré (i) que la CgA interagit avec l’acide phosphatidique (PA), (ii) que les espèces de PA prédominantes sont communes dans les membranes golgienne et granulaire, (iii) que la CgA est capable d’interagir spécifiquement avec des espèces de PA intégrées avec des membranes artificielles et (iv) que l’inhibition de la production du PA au niveau golgien altère significativement la formation des GS et la sécrétion régulée dans les cellules neuroendocrines. L’ensemble des résultats obtenus dans le cadre de ma thèse suggère que l’interaction entre la CgA et le PA est cruciale pour la biogenèse de GS à partir de la membrane du TGN. Nous émettons l’hypothèse que cette interaction est à l’origine de la formation de microdomaines enrichis en PA qui contrôleraient la courbure de la membrane du TGN et le recrutement du complexe actomyosine. / Neuroendocrine cells exhibit the constitutive secretory pathway which is common all cell types and allows the continuous renewal of the plasma membrane and the extracellular matrix, and the regulated secretory pathway, which is specific to secretory cells and allows hormone secretion following cell stimulation. The organelles supporting the latter pathway are dense-core secretory granules (SG), which store hormones and soluble glycoproteins, called granins. Among these, chromogranin A (CgA) plays a major role in the biogenesis of SG but the molecular mechanisms underlying this process are not clearly understood. Using non-endocrine COS7 cell line (which are devoid of granins and regulated secretory pathway), my host team has demonstrated that the CgA expression induces the formation of vesicles with structural and functional characteristic of SG. The proteome analysis of purified SG from a COS7 cell line stably expressing CgA (COS7-CgA) revealed the presence of cytoskeleton- and calcium-binding proteins. During my thesis, we focused our attention on myosin 1b (myo1b), actin and actin nucleation complex Arp2/3 due to their ability to induce the budding of post-Golgi compartments in non-endocrine cells. We have shown (i) that myo1b controls SG formation as welle as the regulated secretion in COS7-CgA and PC12 neuroendocrine cells, (ii) that myo1b and Arp2/3 complex are required to recruit fibrillar actin (F-actin) to the Golgi region and to SG formation. These results highlight for the first time the involvement of the actomyosin complex in SG formation. In order to identify the molecular link between luminal CgA and Cytosolic myo1b, we investigated the potential interactions of CgA with lipids of the trans-Golgi network (TGN) membrane. We showed (i) that CgA interacts with phosphatidic acid (PA), (ii) that the predominant PA species are common in Golgi and granular membranes, (iii) that Cg Ais able to interact specifically with these PA species included in artificial membranes, and (iv) that inhibition of PA production at the Golgi level significantly alters SG formation and regulated secretion in neuroendocrine cells. All these results obtained during my thesis suggest that the interaction between CgA and PA is crucial for SG biogenesis from the TGN membrane. We suggest that this interaction is at the origin of the formation of PA-enriched microdomains that could control the curvature of the TGN membrane and the recruitment of the actomyosin complex.

Loss of hearing affects more than 10 % of the population, and one newborn in a thousand is born with defects of the inner ear. Transcriptional factors involved in the development of inner ear are important in our understanding of the causes of inner ear defects. ISLET1 is one of these factors. ISLET1 expression is detected in the sensory and neuronal cells of the inner ear. It participates in otocyst formation, and the specification and differentiation of cells of cochlea and vestibular system. The functional role of ISLET1 during inner ear development was investigated. Its role was studied by using Pax2-Isl1 transgenic mice that overexpress Islet1 under the control of the Pax2 promoter. Two transgenic lines were generated, Pax2-Isl1/300 and Pax2- Isl1/52. Two copies of the Pax2-Isl1 transgene were inserted to Pax2-Isl1/300 genome and one copy was inserted to the Pax2-Isl1/52 genome. Defects in sense of hearing were detected in both lines and circling behavior, a defect of balance, was detected in the Pax2-Isl1/300 transgenic mice. We observed high postnatal lethality in heterozygote transgenic mice. Pax2-Isl1/52 homozygote mutation is lethal at embryonic day 10 (E10,5). Pax2-Isl1/300 homozygote letality couldn't be detected because of the inability to breed heterozygote mutated mice of this line....

No description available.

The aim of this study was to investigate the mode of action of pavetamine on rat cardiomyocytes. Pavetamine is the causative agent of gousiekte (“quick-disease”), a disease of ruminants characterized by acute heart failure following ingestion of certain rubiaceous plants. Two in vitro rat cardiomyocyte models were utilized in this study, namely the rat embryonic cardiac cell line, H9c2, and primary neonatal rat cardiomyocytes. Cytotoxicity of pavetamine was evaluated in H9c2 cells using the MTT and LDH release assays. The eventual cell death of H9c2 cells was due to necrosis, with LDH release into the culture medium after exposure to pavetamine for 72 h. Pavetamine did not induce apoptosis, as the typical features of apoptosis were not observed. Electron microscopy was employed to study ultrastructural alterations caused by pavetamine in H9c2 cells. The mitochondria and sarcoplasmic reticula showed abnormalities after 48 h exposure of the cells to pavetamine. Abundant secondary lysosomes with electron dense material were present in treated cells. Numerous vacuoles were also present in treated cells, indicative of autophagy. During this exposure time, the nuclei appeared normal, with no chromatin condensation as would be expected for apoptosis. Abnormalities in the morphology of the nuclei were only evident after 72 h exposure. The nuclei became fragmented and plasma membrane blebbing occurred. The mitochondrial membrane potential was investigated with a fluorescent probe, which demonstrated that pavetamine caused significant hyperpolarization of the mitochondrial membrane, in contrast to the depolarization caused by apoptotic inducers. Pavetamine did not cause opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore, because cyclosporine A, which is an inhibitor of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore, did not reduce the cytotoxicity of pavetamine significantly. Fluorescent probes were used to investigate subcellular changes induced by pavetamine in H9c2 cells. The mitochondria and sarcoplasmic reticula showed abnormal features compared to the control cells, which is consistent with the electron microscopy studies. The lysosomes of treated cells were more abundant and enlarged. The activity of cytosolic hexosaminidase was nearly three times higher in the treated cells than in the control cells, which suggested increased lysosomal membrane permeability. The activity of acid phosphatase was also increased in comparison to the control cells. In addition, the organization of the cytoskeletal F-actin of treated cells was severely affected by pavetamine. Rat neonatal cardiomyocytes were labelled with antibodies to detect the three major contractile proteins (titin, actin and myosin) and cytoskeletal proteins (F-actin, desmin and β-tubulin). Cells treated with pavetamine had degraded myosin and titin, with altered morphology of sarcomeric actin. Vacuoles appeared in the β-tubulin network, but the appearance of desmin was normal. F-actin was severely disrupted in cardiomyocytes treated with pavetamine and was degraded or even absent in treated cells. Ultrastructurally, the sarcomeres of rat neonatal cardiomyocytes exposed to pavetamine were disorganized and disengaged from the Z-lines, which can also be observed in the hearts of ruminants that have died of gousiekte. It is concluded that the pathological alteration to the major contractile and cytoskeleton proteins caused by pavetamine could explain the cardiac dysfunction that characterizes gousiekte. F-actin is involved in protein synthesis and therefore can play a role in the inhibition of protein synthesis in the myocardium of ruminants suffering from gousiekte. Apart from inhibition of protein synthesis in the heart, there is also increased degradation of cardiac proteins in an animal with gousiekte. The mitochondrial damage will lead to an energy deficiency and possibly to generation of reactive oxygen species. The sarcoplasmic reticula are involved in protein synthesis and any damage to them will affect protein synthesis, folding and post-translational modifications. This will activate the unfolded protein response (UPR) and sarcoplasmic reticula-associated protein degradation (ERAD). If the oxidizing environment of the sarcoplasmic reticula is disturbed, it will activate the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway (UPP) to clear aggregated and misfolded proteins. Lastly, the mitochondria, sarcoplasmic reticula and F-actin are involved in calcium homeostasis. Any damage to these organelles will have a profound influence on calcium flux in the heart and will further contribute to the contractile dysfunction that characterizes gousiekte. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Paraclinical Sciences / unrestricted

Myosin II and actin are two major components of the ingressing cortex during cytokinesis. However, their structural dynamics and functions during cytokinesis are still poorly understood. To study the role of myosin II in cortical actin turnover, dividing normal rat kidney (NRK) cells were treated with blebbistatin, a potent inhibitor of the non-muscle myosin II ATPase. Blebbistatin caused a strong inhibition of actin filament turnover and cytokinesis. Local release of blebbistatin at the equator caused inhibition of cytokinesis, while treatment in the polar region also caused a high frequency of abnormal cytokinesis, suggesting that myosin II may play a global role. These observations indicate that myosin II ATPase is essential for actin turnover and remodeling during cytokinesis. To further study the mechanism of myosin II and actin recruitment to the cytokinetic furrow, equatorial cortex were observed with total internal reflection fluorescence microscope (TIRF-M) coupled with spatial temporal image correlation spectroscopy (STICS) and a new approach termed temporal differential microscopy (TDM). The results indicated at least partially independent mechanisms for the early equatorial recruitment of myosin II and actin filaments. Cortical myosin II showed no detectable directional flow toward the equator. In addition to de novo equatorial assembly, localized inhibition of disassembly appeared to contribute to the formation of the equatorial myosin II band. In contrast, actin filaments underwent a striking, myosin II dependent flux toward the equator. However, myosin II was not required for equatorial actin concentration, suggesting that there was a flux-independent, de novo mechanism. The study was then extended to retraction fibers found typically on mitotic adherent cells, to address the hypothesis that they may facilitate post-mitotic spreading. Cells with retraction fibers showed increased spreading speed in post-mitotic spreading compared to cells without retraction fibers. In addition, micromanipulation study suggested that retraction fibers may guide the direction of post-mitotic spreading. Focal adhesion proteins were present at the tips of retraction fibers, and may act as small nucleators for focal adhesions reassembly that help cell quickly respread and regrow focal adhesions. These findings may suggest a general mechanism utilized by adherent cells to facilitate post-mitotic spreading and reoccupy their previous territory.

No description available.

Breast cancer metastasis is one of the reasons why this type of cancer is destructive even after treatment as it tends to move from one organ to another increasing the risk factor for an individual. In the metastatic cascade, the tumour undergoes many different types of stress, including extracellular (ECM) stiffness. Key proteins that have been linked to the change in stiffness of the ECM are YAP and β-catenin. Both functions similarly in the manner that they need to translocate to the nucleus and bind to their respective transcription factors in order to activate their downstream genes. In parallel this seems to be on a stiffness dependent manner. Therefore, the hypothesis is that β-catenin is able to compensate for YAP function when YAP is downregulated in a stiffness dependent manner. In this work, results show a significant increase of YAP and β-catenin translocation to the nucleus of MDA-MB-231 cells when they are subject to the stiffer substrate in comparison to the softer substrate indicating increase gene expression of their respective pathways. The effect of the stiffness was then analyzed by doing single knockdown experiments with siRNA. To investigate the response of β-catenin, knocking down YAP was done, and it was shown that β-catenin translocation significantly increased on the softer matrix, while stiffer matrix showed no significant difference. Downstream gene expression also confirmed this idea with CTGF being downregulated with β-catenin knockdown and AXIN2 being downregulated with YAP knockdown. In the cell behavioural aspect, only when the double knockdown of YAP and β-catenin was done, the migration and proliferation rate had significant lowered. This echoes the idea further of the compensating effects of β-catenin to YAP. In addition, the exploration of the cytoskeleton network was investigated, as this is a key component in protein pathways, by treating the cells using LatA and Blebbistatin, affecting F-actin and myosin-II respectively. Knowing the critical role of cytoskeletal proteins in mechanotransduction, the hypothesis is that actin filaments and myosin-II mediate the YAP & β-catenin nuclear translocation activation. Findings show the direct relationship between F-actin and YAP as actin polymerization state significantly decreased when YAP was knockdown in a similar manner to when LatA was added. When myosin-II was added, both YAP and β-catenin nuclear translocation were affected, indicating its potential role in mechanotransduction. Furthermore, it was found that cell confluency and PIEZO1 activation had significant effects in YAP & β-catenin translocation. By seeding the cells with different densities, the β-catenin signalling could be visualized with IF staining, with the conclusion that at high confluency, the β-catenin translocation was alleviated. For the PIEZO1 studies, results indicate that PIEZO1 is an upstream regulator of YAP by doing single knockdown experiments and subsequently analysing YAP signalling. The findings underscore the potential significance of β-catenin as a modulator of mechanotransduction in the absence of YAP, showcasing the complexity of the protein signalling network orchestrating cellular response due to mechanical cues. Unravelling these protein interplay could offer novel insights into therapeutic targets for breast cancer mechanotransduction. Ultimately, this research adds to the understanding of the intricate protein signalling that governs mechanotransduction in breast cancer cells. The discovery of stiffness dependent YAP & β-catenin signalling, the interplay between YAP and β-catenin pathway mechanotransduction implicated by cell density, the regulation of YAP- β-catenin interplay in mechanotransduction by PIEZO1, the importance of F-actin & myosin-II in YAP & β-catenin translocation, and the YAP & β-catenin effects on cell behaviour, all help lay the groundwork for devising targeted interventions to impede cancer progression. / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc) / Breast cancer is the most prominent type of cancer that exists in women and like other cancers, it can spread to other organs such as the bone, liver, and brain even though the microenvironments are different. With different proteins like yes-associated protein (YAP) regulating this microenvironmental change in the primary and secondary sites, it can flourish and become more aggressive which leads to death for the host. The interactions of these proteins and their pathways which affects the aggressiveness of the cancers are still not well understood. This project investigates the interaction between YAP and β-catenin in response to surface stiffness to understand the mechanical regulation of breast cancer metastasis. Alongside the protein signalling, cytoskeletal components, downstream gene expression, cell confluency, and membrane proteins are explored. Our results show that an increase in stiffness allow for higher nuclear translocation for YAP and β-catenin, enhancing downstream gene expression relating to migration and proliferation. Furthermore, in lower stiffness the crosstalk between YAP and β-catenin results in an inverse relationship. These findings suggest β-catenin compensates YAP function when YAP is inhibited. In terms of the cytoskeletal protein, an integral part of the cell, the intervention saw a significant alteration in the YAP & β-catenin signalling. Additionally, cell confluency played a large role in β-catenin nuclear translocation implicating the role of cell-to-cell contact in mechanotransduction. To see if mechanosensitive membrane proteins fit into the pathway, PIEZO1 studies were done and results show that it is an upstream effector of YAP, and consequently an indirect connection with β-catenin. All in all, this thesis provides insightful information in the role of stiffness matrix, cell confluency, membrane proteins and how that regulate YAP & β-catenin. This research provides the mechanism for the synergistic therapies targeting multiple proteins to prevent cancer growth and metastasis.

No description available.