Biology subjects

House, M.

Publications and source records attributed to House, M..

4 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

A finite element model of pregnancy derived from maternal sonography: effect of uterine and cervical structural properties on cervical mechanical loading

Identification and treatment of pregnancies at risk for preterm birth is a central challenge in obstetric research. Many of the known causes of preterm birth originate from mechanical failure in reproductive tissues. To better understand the biomechanical environment of the gravid uterus and its potential contribution to preterm birth, this computational study presents a parametric method for modeling maternal reproductive anatomy during the early second trimester. A finite element modeling approach was built using existing sonographic measurements from early second-trimester maternal anatomy and material properties from published mechanical tests. We applied the same physiologically relevant intrauterine pressure to all models and quantified the resulting tissue stretch. The sensitivity of the stretch in the proximal cervix was explored by varying material properties and sonographic maternal anatomy dimensions. Cervical material properties, particularly the fiber stiffness modulus and ground substance Youngs modulus, were found to have the greatest effect on proximal cervix stretch compared to other material properties and sonographic dimensions. Among the sonographic dimension measurements, those defining the region surrounding the proximal cervix had the greatest effect on proximal cervix stretch, including the curvature of the posterior uterine wall and the thickness of the lower uterine segment. The computational modeling approach presented here enables future patient-specific studies of gravid reproductive tissues to elucidate differences between individuals who do and do not deliver preterm. Additionally, this study is foundational for building digital twins to support future virtual clinical studies on diagnostic and therapeutic device design to prevent preterm birth.

bioengineering↗

bioRxiv2026

The reticulon homology domain of Pex30 generates membrane curvature at ER subdomains for lipid droplet biogenesis

Lipid droplets (LDs) are dynamic organelles that store neutral lipids and form in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane. Formation of new LDs is a controlled process and requires proteins with specific functions to form and grow from the ER membrane without any defect. In vitro studies have suggested a role for membrane curvature in LD emergence from the ER. Here, we use the membrane-shaping protein Pex30 to investigate the impact of ER membrane curvature on LD biogenesis and morphology. We modified the reticulon homology domain (RHD) of Pex30, which is responsible for tubulating the ER membrane, by extending the short hairpin transmembrane domains (TMD). The Pex30 (TMD) mutants cannot tubulate the ER membrane and generate less local membrane curvature that WT Pex30. Additionally, these mutants are unable to restore delayed LD biogenesis observed in cells devoid of Pex30. Our results indicate that Pex30 RHD generates local membrane curvature at ER subdomains that drives formation of new LDs.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2026

Genomic selection for seed yield enhances flax breeding efficiency

Genomic selection (GS) is a promising strategy to improve breeding efficiency for complex traits such as seed yield by enabling early selection and reducing reliance on extensive field testing. However, practical deployment of GS remains challenging due to limited training populations sizes and reduced predictive ability when models are applied to true breeding germplasm. In this study, we evaluated GS for flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) seed yield under realistic breeding scenarios, with a focus on across-population prediction (APP) and breeding decision support rather than model benchmarking. Using historical germplasm collections and a newly developed breeding-oriented population as training sets, GS performance was assessed across multiple independent test populations representing contemporary breeding lines evaluated in replicated yield trials. APP predictive abilities ranged from r = 0.67 to 0.84 depending on population relatedness when training and test populations were genetically aligned, supporting routine breeding deployment. Training population composition emerged as a key determinant of prediction success, with breeding-oriented populations consistently outperforming broad germplasm collections for predicting true breeding lines. Check-based selection analyses showed that GS reliably reproduced phenotypic advancement decisions while eliminating 61-91% of low-performing lines, resulting in 48-78% reduction in field evaluation costs for a typical cohort of 300 lines. Marker subsampling analyses further indicated that moderate-density genotyping-by-sequencing panels ([~]2,500-3,000 SNPs) are sufficient to achieve stable predictive abilities. Overall, these results demonstrate that GS for seed yield in flax is ready for routine integration into breeding programs, offering a practical pathway to reduce costs, accelerate breeding cycles, and enhance selection efficiency.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2024

Uterus and cervix anatomical changes and cervix stiffness evolution throughout pregnancy

The coordinated biomechanical performance, such as uterine stretch and cervical barrier function, within maternal reproductive tissues facilitates healthy human pregnancy and birth. Quantifying normal biomechanical function and detecting potentially detrimental biomechanical dysfunction (e.g., cervical insufficiency, uterine overdistention, premature rupture of membranes) is difficult, largely due to minimal data on the shape and size of maternal anatomy and material properties of tissue across gestation. This study quantitates key structural features of human pregnancy to fill this knowledge gap and facilitate three-dimensional modeling for biomechanical pregnancy simulations to deeply explore pregnancy and childbirth. These measurements include the longitudinal assessment of uterine and cervical dimensions, fetal weight, and cervical stiffness in 47 low-risk pregnancies at four time points during gestation (late first, middle second, late second, and middle third trimesters). The uterine and cervical size were measured via 2-dimensional ultrasound, and cervical stiffness was measured via cervical aspiration. Trends in uterine and cervical measurements were assessed as time-course slopes across pregnancy and between gestational time points, accounting for specific participants. Patient-specific computational solid models of the uterus and cervix, generated from the ultrasonic measurements, were used to estimate deformed uterocervical volume. Results show that for this low-risk cohort, the uterus grows fastest in the inferior-superior direction from the late first to middle second trimester and fastest in the anterior-posterior and left-right direction between the middle and late second trimester. Contemporaneously, the cervix softens and shortens. It softens fastest from the late first to the middle second trimester and shortens fastest between the late second and middle third trimester. Alongside the fetal weight estimated from ultrasonic measurements, this work presents holistic maternal and fetal patient-specific biomechanical measurements across gestation.

bioengineering↗