Biology subjects

Mason, D. E.

Publications and source records attributed to Mason, D. E..

6 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2024

Control of Epithelial Tissue Organization by mRNA Localization

mRNA localization to specific subcellular regions is common in mammalian cells but poorly understood in terms of its physiological roles1-6,7. This study demonstrates the functional importance of Net1 mRNA, which we find prominently localized at the dermal-epidermal junction (DEJ) in stratified squamous epithelia. Net1 mRNA accumulates at DEJ protrusion-like structures that interact with the basement membrane and connect to a mechanosensitive network of microfibrils. Disrupting Net1 mRNA localization in mouse epithelium alters DEJ morphology and keratinocyte-matrix connections, affecting tissue homeostasis. mRNA localization dictates Net1 protein distribution and its function as a RhoA GTPase exchange factor (GEF). Altered RhoA activity is in turn sufficient to alter the ultrastructure of the DEJ. This study provides a high-resolution in vivo view of mRNA targeting in a physiological context. It further demonstrates how the subcellular localization of a single mRNA can significantly influence mammalian epithelial tissue organization, thus revealing an unappreciated level of post-transcriptional regulation that controls tissue physiology.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2022

Mechanotransductive feedback control of endothelial cell motility and vascular morphogenesis

Vascular morphogenesis requires persistent endothelial cell motility that is responsive to diverse and dynamic mechanical stimuli. Here, we interrogated the mechanotransductive feedback dynamics that govern endothelial cell motility and vascular morphogenesis. We show that the transcriptional regulators, YAP and TAZ, are activated by mechanical cues to transcriptionally limit cytoskeletal and focal adhesion maturation, forming a conserved mechanotransductive feedback loop that mediates human endothelial cell motility in vitro and zebrafish intersegmental vessel (ISV) morphogenesis in vivo. This feedback loop closes in 4 hours, achieving cytoskeletal equilibrium in 8 hours. Feedback loop inhibition arrested endothelial cell migration in vitro and ISV morphogenesis in vivo. Inhibitor washout at 3 hrs, prior to feedback loop closure, restored vessel growth, but washout at 8 hours, longer than the feedback timescale, did not, establishing lower and upper bounds for feedback kinetics in vivo. Mechanistically, YAP and TAZ induced transcriptional suppression of RhoA signaling to maintain dynamic cytoskeletal equilibria. Together, these data establish the mechanoresponsive dynamics of a transcriptional feedback loop necessary for persistent endothelial cell migration and vascular morphogenesis.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2018

Effects of BMP-2 on neovascularization during large bone defect regeneration

Insufficient blood vessel supply is a primary limiting factor for regenerative approaches to large bone defect repair. Recombinant BMP-2 delivery induces robust bone formation and has been observed to enhance neovascularization, but whether the angiogenic effects of BMP-2 are due to direct endothelial cell stimulation or to indirect paracrine signaling remains unclear. Here, we evaluated the effects of BMP-2 delivery on vascularized bone regeneration and tested whether BMP-2 induces neovascularization directly or indirectly. We found that delivery of BMP-2 (5 g) enhanced both bone formation and neovascularization in critically sized (8 mm) rat femoral bone defects; however, BMP-2 did not directly stimulate angiogenesis in vitro. In contrast, conditioned medium from both mesenchymal progenitor cells and osteoblasts induced angiogenesis in vitro, suggesting a paracrine mechanism of BMP-2 action. Consistent with this inference, co-delivery of BMP-2 with endothelial colony forming cells (ECFCs) to a heterotopic site, distant from the bone marrow niche, induced ossification but had no effect on neovascularization. Taken together, these data suggest that BMP-2 induces neovascularization during bone regeneration primarily through paracrine activation of osteoprogenitor cells.

bioengineering↗

bioRxiv2018

Persistent cell motility requires transcriptional feedback of cytoskeletal - focal adhesion equilibrium by YAP/TAZ

Cell migration initiates by traction generation through reciprocal actomyosin tension and focal adhesion reinforcement, but continued motility requires adaptive cytoskeletal remodeling and adhesion release. Here, we asked whether de novo gene expression contributes to this cytoskeletal feedback. We found that global inhibition of transcription or translation does not impair initial cell polarization or migration initiation, but causes eventual migratory arrest through excessive cytoskeletal tension and over-maturation of focal adhesions, tethering cells to their matrix. The transcriptional co-activators YAP and TAZ mediate this feedback response, modulating cell mechanics by limiting cytoskeletal and focal adhesion maturation to enable persistent cell motility and 3D vasculogenesis. Motile arrest after YAP/TAZ ablation was partially rescued by depletion of the YAP/TAZ-dependent myosin phosphatase regulator, NUAK2, or by inhibition of Rho-ROCK-myosin II. Together, these data establish a transcriptional feedback axis necessary to maintain a responsive cytoskeletal equilibrium and persistent migration.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2017

Recapitulating bone development for tissue regeneration through engineered mesenchymal condensations and mechanical cues

Large bone defects cannot heal without intervention and have high complication rates even with the best treatments available. In contrast, bone fractures naturally healing with high success rates by recapitulating the process of bone development through endochondral ossification.1 Endochondral tissue engineering may represent a promising paradigm, but large bone defects are unable to naturally form a callus. We engineered mesenchymal condensations featuring local morphogen presentation (TGF-{beta}1) to mimic the cellular organization and lineage progression of the early limb bud. As mechanical forces are 2,3 critical for proper endochondral ossification during bone morphogenesis2,3 and fracture healing, we hypothesized that mechanical cues would be important for endochondral regeneration.4,5 Here, using fixation plates that modulate ambulatory load transfer through dynamic tuning of axial compliance, we found that in vivo mechanical loading was necessary to restore bone function to large bone defects through endochondral ossification. Endochondral regeneration produced zonal cartilage and primary spongiosa mimetic of the native growth plate. Live human chondrocytes contributed to endochondral regeneration in vivo, while cell devitalization prior to condensation transplantation abrogated bone formation. Mechanical loading induced regeneration comparable to high-dose BMP-2 delivery, but without heterotopic bone formation and with order-of-magnitude greater mechanosensitivity.6-8 In vitro, mechanical loading promoted chondrogenesis, and upregulated pericellular collagen 6 deposition and angiogenic gene expression. Consistently, in vivo mechanical loading regulated cartilage formation and neovascular invasion dependent on load timing. Together, this study represents the first demonstration of the effects of mechanical loading on transplanted cell-mediated bone defect regeneration, and provides a new template for recapitulating developmental programs for tissue engineering.

bioengineering↗

bioRxiv2017

Skeletal Cell YAP And TAZ Redundantly Promote Bone Development By Regulation Of Collagen I Expression And Organization

The functions of the transcriptional co-activators YAP and TAZ in bone are controversial. Each has been observed to either promote or inhibit osteogenesis in vitro, while their roles in bone development are unknown. Here we report that combinatorial YAP/TAZ deletion from skeletal cells in mice caused osteogenesis imperfecta with severity dependent on targeted cell lineage and allele dosage. Osteocyte-conditional deletion impaired bone accrual and matrix collagen, while allele dosage-dependent deletion from all osteogenic lineage cells caused spontaneous fractures, with neonatal lethality only in dual homozygous knockouts. We identified putative target genes whose mutation in humans causes osteogenesis imperfecta and which contain promoter-proximate binding domains for the YAP/TAZ co-effector, TEAD4. Two candidates, Col1a1 and SerpinH1, exhibited reduced expression upon either YAP/TAZ deletion or YAP/TAZ-TEAD inhibition by verteporfin. Together, these data demonstrate that YAP and TAZ redundantly promote bone matrix development and implicate YAP/TAZ-mediated transcriptional regulation of collagen in osteogenesis imperfecta.

developmental biology↗