Biology subjects

Galea, G.

Publications and source records attributed to Galea, G..

7 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Extracellular matrix defects destabilise apical cytoarchitecture and mechanical properties during early Down syndrome neurodevelopment

Down syndrome (DS) is associated with altered brain development, especially in the cerebellum. However, how trisomy 21 (TS21) is linked to cerebellar defects remains poorly understood. Cerebellar organoids reveal that TS21 leads to extracellular matrix (ECM) alterations, perturbing downstream pathways linked to reduction of apical RAB11+ endosomes. These changes lead to impaired apical maintenance and altered progenitor composition. Significantly, ECM-enriched culture rescues apical defects in TS21 organoids, supporting a functional role for ECM in preserving apical organisation and progenitor niche integrity. In the developing human DS cerebellum and 2D neural cultures, where exogenous ECM is present, severe epithelial disorganisation is attenuated. Nevertheless, ECM organisation and mechanical properties remain altered in 2D cultures. Our findings identify TS21-driven ECM abnormalities as a mechanism impairing apical integrity, progenitor composition and mechanical proprieties in neural stem cell models of DS. Altogether, we established apical maintenance instability as an early developmental defect contributing for DS neuropathology.

Developmental Biology↗

bioRxiv2023

Dextromethorphan inhibits collagen transport in the endoplasmic reticulum eliciting an anti-fibrotic response in ex-vivo and in vitro models of pulmonary fibrosis

Excessive deposition of fibrillar collagen in the interstitial extracellular matrix (ECM) of human lung tissue causes fibrosis, which can ultimately lead to organ failure. Despite our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the disease, a cure for pulmonary fibrosis has not yet been found. In this study, we screened an FDA-approved drug library containing 712 drugs and found that Dextromethorphan (DXM), a cough expectorant, significantly reduces the amount of excess fibrillar collagen deposited in the ECM in in-vitro cultured primary human lung fibroblasts (NHLF) and ex-vivo cultured human precision-cut lung slice (hPCLS) models of lung fibrosis. Reduced extracellular fibrillar collagen levels in the ECM upon DXM treatment are due to a reversible trafficking inhibition of collagen type I (COL1) in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in TANGO1 and HSP47 positive structures. Mass spectrometric analysis shows that DXM causes hyper-hydroxylation of proline and lysine residues on Collagen (COL1, COL3, COL4, COL5, COL7, COL12) and Latent-transforming growth factor beta-binding protein (LTBP1 and LTBP2) peptides coinciding with their secretion block. In addition, thermal proteome profiling of cells treated with DXM shows increased thermal stability of prolyl-hydroxylases such as P3H2, P3H3, P3H4, P4HA1 and P4HA2, suggesting a change in activity. Transcriptome analysis of pro-fibrotic stimulated NHLFs and hPCLS upon DXM treatment showed activation of an anti-fibrotic program via regulation of pathways such as those involved in the MMP-ADAMTS axis, WNT, and fibroblast-to-myofibroblast differentiation. Taken together, the data obtained from both in-vitro and ex-vivo models of fibrogenesis show that Dextromethorphan has potent anti-fibrotic activity by efficient inhibition of COL1 membrane trafficking in the ER.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2022

The Golgi complex is a regulatory hub for homologous recombination-mediated DNA repair.

The Golgi complex is a key organelle of the secretory pathway, but also serves as a critical hub for maintaining cellular homeostasis, orchestrating various signalling pathways and essential cellular processes such as membrane trafficking and post-translational modifications. Despite its central role, the communication between the Golgi and the cell nucleus has remained largely unexplored. To bridge this gap, we have analysed and siRNA-validated localisation data of the Human Protein Atlas, finding an unexpected and significant level of interconnectivity between the proteomes of the Golgi complex and nucleus, including an intriguing involvement in DNA repair processes. Here, we uncovered a cluster of DNA repair proteins present in distinct sub-Golgi localisations as well as in the nuclear compartment. In response to genotoxic stress these proteins redistribute dynamically between the Golgi complex and the nucleus, with the specific type of DNA injury influencing this distribution pattern. To probe this Golgi-nucleus link, we examined the Homologous Recombination (HR) regulator RAD51C and find that DNA damage triggers ATM-dependent release of a Giantin-tethered Golgi pool and Importin-{beta}-dependent nuclear import, where repair-associated nuclear foci form. Downregulation of Giantin prematurely releases RAD51C, producing RAD51C nuclear foci lacking key HR markers, reducing ATM activation, elevating genome instability, and accelerating cell proliferation. These findings support a timing-based pathway in which the Golgi acts as a spatiotemporal coordination node for HR regulators and other DDR factors. Our study sheds light on the dynamic interplay between the Golgi and the nucleus in safeguarding genomic stability while maintaining the delicate balance of cellular homeostasis.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2021

The adenosine 2a receptor and TIM3 directly inhibit killing of tumor cells by cytotoxic T lymphocytes through interference with cytoskeletal polarization

Tumors generate an immune-suppressive environment that prevents effective killing of tumor cells by CD8+ cytotoxic T cells (CTL). It remains largely unclear upon which cell type and at which stage of the anti-tumor response mediators of suppression act. We have combined an in vivo tumor model with a matching in vitro reconstruction of the tumor microenvironment based on tumor spheroids to identify suppressors of anti-tumor immunity that directly act on interaction between CTL and tumor cells and to determine mechanisms of action. An adenosine 2a receptor antagonist, as enhanced by blockade of TIM3, slowed tumor growth in vivo. Engagement of the adenosine 2a receptor and TIM3 reduced tumor cell killing in spheroids, impaired CTL cytoskeletal polarization ex vivo and in vitro and inhibited CTL infiltration into tumors and spheroids. With this focus on CTL killing, blocking A2aR and TIM3 complements therapies that enhance T cell priming, e.g. anti-PD1 and anti-CTLA-4.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2020

Hindbrain neuropore tissue geometry determines asymmetric cell-mediated closure dynamics

Gap closure is a common morphogenetic process. In mammals, failure to close the embryonic hindbrain neuropore (HNP) gap causes fatal anencephaly. We observed that surface ectoderm cells surrounding the mouse HNP assemble high-tension actomyosin purse-strings at their leading edge and establish the initial contacts across the embryonic midline. The HNP gap closes asymmetrically, faster from its rostral than caudal extreme, while maintaining an elongated aspect ratio. Cell-based physical modelling identifies two closure mechanisms sufficient to describe tissue-level HNP closure dynamics; purse-string contraction and directional cell crawling. Combining both closure mechanisms hastens gap closure and produces a constant rate of gap shortening. Purse-string contraction reduces, whereas crawling increases gap aspect ratio, and their combination maintains it. Closure rate asymmetry can be explained by embryo tissue geometry, namely a narrower rostral gap apex. At the cellular level, our model predicts highly directional cell migration with a constant rate of cells leaving the HNP rim. These behaviours are reproducibly live-imaged in mouse embryos. Thus, mammalian embryos coordinate cellular and tissue-level mechanics to achieve this critical gap closure event.

biophysics↗

bioRxiv2019

Cortical bone gain following loading is site-specifically enhanced by prior and concurrent disuse in aged male mice

The primary aim of bone anabolic therapies is to strategically increase bone mass in skeletal regions likely to experience high strains. This is naturally achieved by mechanical loading of the young healthy skeleton. However, these bone anabolic responses fail with age. Here, we applied site specificity analysis to map regional differences in bone anabolic responses to axial loading of the tibia (tri-weekly, for two weeks) between young (19-week-old) and aged (19-month-old), male and female mice. Loading increased bone mass specifically in the proximal tibia in both sexes and ages. Young female mice gained more cortical bone than young males in specific regions of the tibia. However, these site-specific sex difference were lost with age such that bone gain following loading was not significantly different between old males and females. Having previously demonstrated that prior and concurrent disuse enhances bone gain following loading in old females, we established whether this \"rescue\" is sex-specific. Old male mice were subjected to sciatic neurectomy or sham surgery, and tri-weekly loading was initiated four days after surgery. Disuse augmented cortical bone gain in response to loading in old male mice, but only in the regions of the tibia which were load-responsive in the young. Increased understanding of how locally-activated load-responsive processes lead to site-specific bone formation, and how the age-related diminution of these processes can be site-specifically enhanced by disuse, may lead to the next generation of strategic bone anabolic therapies.\n\nHighlightsO_LISex differences in cortical tissue area of young and old mice are not site-specific\nC_LIO_LIThe loading response in young, but not old, mice is sex- and site-specific\nC_LIO_LIThe cortical loading response is site-specifically enhanced by disuse in old mice of both sexes\nC_LIO_LIThe trabecular loading response can be rescued by disuse in old male, but not female, mice\nC_LI

physiology↗

bioRxiv2019

Basal protrusions mediate spatiotemporal patterns of spinal neuron differentiation

During early spinal cord development, neurons of particular subtypes differentiate with a sparse periodic pattern while later neurons differentiate in the intervening space to eventually produce continuous columns of similar neurons. The mechanisms that regulate this spatiotemporal pattern are unknown. In vivo imaging of zebrafish reveals differentiating spinal neurons transiently extend two long protrusions along the basal surface of the spinal cord prior to axon initiation. These protrusions express Delta protein consistent with the possibility they influence Notch signalling at a distance of several cell diameters. Experimental reduction of laminin expression leads to smaller protrusions and shorter distances between differentiating neurons. The experimental data and a theoretical model support the proposal that the pattern of neuronal differentiation is regulated by transient basal protrusions that deliver temporally controlled lateral inhibition mediated at a distance. This work uncovers novel, stereotyped protrusive activity of new-born neurons that organizes long distance spatiotemporal patterning of differentiation.

developmental biology↗