Biology subjects

Zhang, S. W.

Publications and source records attributed to Zhang, S. W..

2 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2022

Macroscale Adipose Tissue from Cellular Aggregates: A Simplified Method of Mass Producing Cell-Cultured Fat for Food Applications

We present a method of producing bulk cell-cultured fat tissue for food applications. Mass transport limitations (nutrients, oxygen, waste diffusion) of macroscale 3D tissue culture are circumvented by initially culturing murine or porcine adipocytes in 2D, after which bulk fat is produced by mechanically harvesting and aggregating the lipid-filled adipocytes into 3D fats using alginate or transglutaminase binders. The 3D fats were visually similar to fat tissue harvested from animals, with matching textures based on uniaxial compression tests. The mechanical properties of cultured fat tissues were based on binder choice and concentration, and changes in the fatty acid compositions of cellular triacylglyceride and phospholipids were observed after lipid supplementation (soybean oil) during in vitro culture. This approach of aggregating individual adipocytes into a bulk 3D tissue provides a scalable and versatile strategy to produce cultured fat tissue for food-related applications, thereby addressing a key obstacle in cultivated meat production. Graphical Abstract O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=159 SRC="FIGDIR/small/495192v3_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (48K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@148ac5eorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@2c8f94org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@186553aorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@458c09_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG

bioengineering↗

bioRxiv2018

Octopaminergic neurons have multiple targets in Drosophila larval mushroom body calyx and regulate behavioral odor discrimination

Discrimination of sensory signals is essential for an organism to form and retrieve memories of relevance in a given behavioural context. Sensory representations are modified dynamically by changes in behavioral state, facilitating context-dependent selection of behavior, through signals carried by noradrenergic input in mammals, or octopamine (OA) in insects. To understand the circuit mechanisms of this signaling, we characterized the function of two OA neurons, sVUM1 neurons, that originate in the subesophageal zone (SEZ) and target the input region of the memory center, the mushroom body (MB) calyx, in larval Drosophila. We find that sVUM1 neurons target multiple neurons, including olfactory projection neurons (PNs), the inhibitory neuron APL, and a pair of extrinsic output neurons, but relatively few mushroom body intrinsic neurons, Kenyon cells. PN terminals carried the OA receptor Oamb, a Drosophila 1-adrenergic receptor ortholog. Using an odor discrimination learning paradigm, we showed that optogenetic activation of OA neurons compromised discrimination of similar odors but not learning ability. Our results suggest that sVUM1 neurons modify odor representations via multiple extrinsic inputs at the sensory input area to the MB olfactory learning circuit.

neuroscience↗