Biology subjects

Field, C. M.

Publications and source records attributed to Field, C. M..

8 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Local fluidization of an active cytoplasmic gel partitions large cells

Early animal embryos undergo rapid cleavages that partition cytoplasmic volumes orders of magnitude larger than those of somatic cells1. Each division must reposition nuclei and centrosomes and distribute organelles within minutes, over distances up to hundreds of micrometers2. Cleavage furrows are positioned by microtubule asters3,4, but the mechanical mechanism for long-range transport of cytoplasmic components before cytokinesis was unknown. Here, we show that cytoplasm behaves as a locally switchable active material. Fluidization at the midplane allows bulk actomyosin to convert a local mechanical asymmetry into directed global flows of all components as a composite material. Using an actin-intact cycling Xenopus egg extract together with Xenopus and medaka embryos, we find that F-actin mechanically couples microtubule asters, organelles, nuclei and centrosomes into a gel-like composite that propagates forces over hundreds of micrometers. After mitosis, Aurora B kinase patterns a locally fluidized midplane, from which myosin-II contractility drives coherent cytoplasmic flows. A fluid dynamics model accounts for the observed flow geometry and rates. Our results reveal how local control of the material state of cytoplasm converts mitotic symmetry breaking into long-range intracellular transport and identify bulk actomyosin as the active stress generator that partitions embryonic cytoplasm as a composite gel.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2025

Depletion of a neural cell adhesion molecule disrupts both epithelial and germ layer identity in sea anemone embryos

Assembly of cells into epithelial layers marks the early steps of tissue organization and embryonic development in most animals. Although several conserved proteins are known to be essential for epithelialization in bilaterians, it is unclear whether these are sufficient to drive epithelial organization in all metazoans. Using proteomics and knockdown approaches in embryos of the early-branching sea anemone Nematostella vectensis, we identified the neural cell adhesion molecule NCAM2 to be essential for organization of the primary epithelial layer. NCAM2 belongs to the immunoglobulin family of cell adhesion molecules with roles in inter-cellular adhesion and signaling. In this work, we show that NCAM2 is enriched at the apical cell junctions and is required for Nematostella epithelial cell identity. Importantly, embryos depleted for NCAM2 fail to gastrulate. Both whole-embryo germ layer patterning and tissue changes required for gastrulation are impaired. Together, our data show that in Nematostella NCAM2 is required for both epithelial and germ layer organization.

developmental biology↗

bioRxiv2023

mBARq: a versatile and user-friendly framework for the analysis of DNA barcodes from transposon insertion libraries, knockout mutants and isogenic strain populations

DNA barcoding has become a powerful tool for assessing the fitness of strains in a variety of studies, including random transposon mutagenesis screens, attenuation of site-directed mutants, and population dynamics of isogenic strain pools. However, the statistical analysis, visualization and contextualization of the data resulting from such experiments can be complex and require bioinformatic skills. Here, we developed mBARq, a user-friendly tool designed to simplify these steps for diverse experimental setups. The tool is seamlessly integrated with an intuitive web app for interactive data exploration via the STRING and KEGG databases to accelerate scientific discovery.

bioinformatics↗

bioRxiv2022

Wnt11 family dependent morphogenesis during frog gastrulation is marked by the cleavage furrow protein anillin

Wnt11 family proteins are ligands that activate a type of Dishevelled-mediated, non-canonical Wnt signaling pathway. Loss of function causes defects in gastrulation and/or anterior-posterior axis extension in all vertebrates. Non-mammalian vertebrate genomes encode two Wnt11 family proteins whose distinct functions have been unclear. We knocked down zygotic Wnt11b and Wnt11, separately and together, in Xenopus laevis. Single morphants exhibited very similar phenotypes of delayed blastopore closure, but they had different phenotypes at the tailbud stage. In response to their very similar gastrulation phenotypes, we chose to characterize dual morphants. Using dark field illuminated time-lapse imaging and kymograph analysis, we identified a failure of dorsal blastopore lip maturation that correlated with slower blastopore closure and failure to internalize the endoderm at the dorsal blastopore lip. We connected these externally visible phenotypes to cellular events in the internal tissues - including the archenteron - by imaging intact embryos stained for anillin and microtubules. The cleavage furrow protein anillin provided an exceptional cytological marker for blastopore lip and archenteron morphogenesis and the consequent disruption through loss of Wnt 11 signaling. These cytological changes suggest a novel role for the regulation of contractility and stiffness of the epithelial cells that result in dramatic shape changes and are important in gastrulation.

developmental biology↗

bioRxiv2021

Glycogen-dependent demixing of frog egg cytoplasm at increased crowding

Crowding increases the tendency of macromolecules to aggregate and phase separate, and high crowding can induce glass-like states of cytoplasm. To explore the effect of crowding in a well-characterized model cytoplasm we developed methods to selectively concentrate components larger than 25 kDa from Xenopus egg extracts. When crowding was increased 1.4x, the egg cytoplasm demixed into two liquid phases of approximately equal volume. One of the phases was highly enriched in glycogen while the other had a higher protein concentration. Glycogen hydrolysis blocked or reversed demixing. Quantitative proteomics showed that the glycogen phase was enriched in proteins that bind glycogen, participate in carbohydrate metabolism, or are in complexes with especially high native molecular weight. The glycogen phase was depleted of ribosomes, ER and mitochondria. These results inform on the physical nature of a glycogen-rich cytoplasm and suggest a role of demixing in the localization of glycogen particles in tissue cells.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2021

Rho and F-actin self-organize within an artificial cell cortex

The cell cortex, comprised of the plasma membrane and underlying cytoskeleton, undergoes dynamic reorganizations during a variety of essential biological processes including cell adhesion, cell migration, and cell division1,2. During cell division and cell locomotion, for example, waves of filamentous-actin (F-actin) assembly and disassembly develop in the cell cortex in a process termed "cortical excitability"3-7. In developing frog and starfish embryos, cortical excitability is generated through coupled positive and negative feedback, with rapid activation of Rho-mediated F-actin assembly followed in space and time by F-actin-dependent inhibition of Rho8,9. These feedback loops are proposed to serve as a mechanism for amplification of active Rho signaling at the cell equator to support furrowing during cytokinesis, while also maintaining flexibility for rapid error correction in response to movement of the mitotic spindle during chromosome segregation10. In this paper, we develop an artificial cortex based on Xenopus egg extract and supported lipid bilayers (SLBs), to investigate cortical Rho and F-actin dynamics11. This reconstituted system spontaneously develops two distinct dynamic patterns: singular excitable Rho and F-actin waves and non-traveling oscillatory Rho and F-actin patches. Both types of dynamic patterns have properties and dependencies similar to the cortical excitability previously characterized in vivo9. These findings directly support the longstanding speculation that the cell cortex is a self-organizing structure and present a novel approach for investigating mechanisms of Rho-GTPase-mediated cortical dynamics. HighlightsO_LIAn artificial cell cortex comprising Xenopus egg extract on a supported lipid bilayer self-organizes into complex, dynamic patterns of active Rho and F-actin C_LIO_LIWe identified two types of reconstituted cortical dynamics - excitable waves and coherent oscillations C_LIO_LIReconstituted waves and oscillations require Rho activity and F-actin polymerization C_LI

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2020

Co-movement of astral microtubules, organelles and F-actin suggests aster positioning by surface forces in frog eggs

How bulk cytoplasm generates forces to separate post-anaphase microtubule (MT) asters in Xenopus laevis and other large eggs remains unclear. Previous models proposed dynein-based organelle transport generates length-dependent forces on astral MTs that pull centrosomes through the cytoplasm, away from the midplane. In Xenopus egg extracts, we co-imaged MTs, endoplasmic reticulum (ER), mitochondria, acidic organelles, F-actin, keratin, and fluorescein in moving and stationary asters. In asters that were moving in response to dynein and actomyosin forces, we observed that all cytoplasmic components moved together, i.e., as a continuum. Dynein-mediated organelle transport was restricted by interior MTs and F-actin. Organelles exhibited a burst of dynein-dependent inward movement at the growing aster surface, then mostly halted inside the aster. Dynein-coated beads were slowed by F-actin, but in contrast to organelles, beads did not halt inside asters. These observations call for new models of aster positioning based on surface forces and internal stresses.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2019

Disassembly of actin and keratin networks by Aurora B kinase at the midplane of cleaving Xenopus laevis eggs

We investigated how bulk cytoplasm prepares for cytokinesis in Xenopus laevis eggs, which are large, rapidly dividing cells. The egg midplane is demarcated by Chromosomal Passenger Complex (CPC) localized on microtubule bundles between asters. Using an extract system and intact eggs we found that local kinase activity of the AURKB subunit of the CPC caused disassembly of F-actin and keratin between asters, and local softening of the cytoplasm as assayed by flow patterns. Beads coated with active CPC mimicked aster boundaries and caused AURKB-dependent disassembly of F-actin and keratin that propagated ~40 m without microtubules, and much farther with microtubules present, due to CPC auto-activation. We propose that active CPC at aster boundaries locally reduces cytoplasmic stiffness by disassembling actin and keratin networks. This may help sister centrosomes move apart after mitosis, prepare a soft path for furrow ingression and/or release G-actin to build the furrow cortex.

cell biology↗