Biology subjects

LeBlanc, Z.

Publications and source records attributed to LeBlanc, Z..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Flow-Induced Yap/Taz Signaling Balances Endothelial and Hematopoietic Stem Cell Fates

Mechanical forces from blood flow are essential for production of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) during embryogenesis, but the molecular mechanisms by which hemodynamic cues are sensed and orchestrate endothelial-to-hematopoietic (EHT) transition remain incompletely defined. We previously identified YAP mechanotransduction as a key integrator of physical forces with EHT. Here we show that hemodynamic forces can activate YAP signaling via the mechanoresponsive ion channel Piezo1 in human iPSC-derived hemogenic endothelium (HE) and zebrafish embryos. Investigation of the Piezo1/YAP axis revealed shared and unique roles of YAP and its paralogue TAZ in EHT. Mechanistically, we find a requirement for the Tead DNA-binding co-factor in YAP/TAZ-dependent control of HSPC number, and note that TAZ uniquely augments transcriptional output of the hematopoietic master regulator Runx1 via direct protein-protein interactions. By comprehensive scRNA-sequencing of YAP/TAZ gain-of-function (GOF) and yap-deficient cells from zebrafish, we reveal that YAP/TAZ promotes HSC production by positively regulating gene programs for hematopoietic self-renewal, cell cycle, and glycolysis-to-oxidative phosphorylation switching, while preventing reversion to endothelial identity. Importantly, comparison of GOF transcriptomes and functional analyses suggest decoupling of metabolic/proliferative and endothelial gene regulatory modules between YAP and TAZ: while either can functionally compensate for loss of the other in EHT, indiscriminate overactivation of TAZ enhances an endothelial program over pro-hematopoietic fate, ultimately blunting progression of HSPC production. Given that hemodynamic cues are integrated simultaneously by arterial and HE cells in embryonic vessels in which EHT occurs, these findings have strong implications for strategies designed to introduce biomechanical cues to in vitro hematopoietic differentiation systems to drive HSC production.

Cell Biology↗

bioRxiv2026

Anatolution, an online platform for consensus morphology

IntroductionSupervised statistical learning for cell-level segmentation and morphometry in optical microscopy is limited less by algorithmic capacity than by the scarcity of reliable, expert-validated ground truth. In comparative neuroscience and quantitative histology, where classical stains such as Nissls method remain the primary means to study cellular morphology, this bottleneck is acute: manual annotation is expensive, subject to individual bias, and rarely performed at the scale or consistency that computational approaches demand. No existing platform integrates a stain-specific bioimage segmentation protocol, a structured multi-annotator workflow, and consensus-based quality control into a single pipeline from image ingestion to machine-readable training data. MethodsWe present Anatolution, an open-source, web-based platform designed to address the gap of quality annotations at https://anatolution.herokuapp.com/public-tool/. Anatolution organizes microscopy images, including 2D arrays or 3D volumes, into project workspaces where multiple annotators independently label cellular structures against a shared computer vision catalogue. This design enables systematic inter-rater and intra-rater reliability assessment, with consensus derived from agreement across annotators rather than from any single experts judgment. The platform enables the export of aggregated labels or annotation datasets for downstream statistical learning methods. We describe the systems architecture, its Nissl-specific segmentation pipeline, the consensus annotation workflow, and validation of inter-rater reliability. ConclusionAcross 20+ histological annotation containers annotated by up to 15 independent raters, consensus boundary agreement increased monotonically with annotator count, reaching a median Dice of 0.79 against the full-rater reference at seven annotators, with top-tier containers achieving leave-one-out ceiling values of 0.621-0.769 for cell-body segmentation. The segmentation pipeline provided effective spatial anchoring, with 88% of consensus-annotated polygons containing at least one algorithmically detected seed. Anatolution provides open-source infrastructure for producing consensus-validated training data from classical histological preparations, addressing the primary bottleneck limiting supervised learning for cell-level morphometry.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2022

A multi-omic Nicotiana benthamiana resource for fundamental research and biotechnology

Nicotiana benthamiana is an invaluable model plant and biotechnology platform. To further improve its usefulness and versatility, we have produced high quality chromosome level genome assemblies and multi-omic datasets for both the ubiquitously used LAB strain and a distantly related wild accession, QLD, as well as mapping their single nucleotide polymorphisms with two additional laboratory and four additional wild accessions. LAB and QLD have many genetic, functional, and metabolic differences. These coupled with their high inter-fertility and equally efficient transient and stable transformation and genome editing provide a powerful resource partnership. Their [~]3Gb allotetraploid genomes show advanced diploidisation with major chromosome loss and rearrangement, extensive homoeologous gene loss, and widespread segmental allopolyploidy. Recent bursts of Copia mobility, not seen in other Nicotiana genomes, have probably aided N. benthamianas adaptation to a spectrum of Australian ecologies.

plant biology↗