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1. Fibroblast Growth Factor (FGF) 13

   https://doi.org/10.1016/j.diff.2024.100814  

   Rivas, Lucia J; Uribe, Rosa A (November 2024, Differentiation)
2. Synovial fibroblast gene expression is associated with sensory nerve growth and pain in rheumatoid arthritis

   https://doi.org/10.1126/scitranslmed.adk3506  

   Bai, Zilong; Bartelo, Nicholas; Aslam, Maryam; Murphy, Elisabeth A; Hale, Caryn R; Blachere, Nathalie E; Parveen, Salina; Spolaore, Edoardo; DiCarlo, Edward; Gravallese, Ellen M; et al (April 2024, Science Translational Medicine)

   It has been presumed that rheumatoid arthritis (RA) joint pain is related to inflammation in the synovium; however, recent studies reveal that pain scores in patients do not correlate with synovial inflammation. We developed a machine-learning approach (graph-based gene expression module identification or GbGMI) to identify an 815-gene expression module associated with pain in synovial biopsy samples from patients with established RA who had limited synovial inflammation at arthroplasty. We then validated this finding in an independent cohort of synovial biopsy samples from patients who had early untreated RA with little inflammation. Single-cell RNA sequencing analyses indicated that most of these 815 genes were most robustly expressed by lining layer synovial fibroblasts. Receptor-ligand interaction analysis predicted cross-talk between human lining layer fibroblasts and human dorsal root ganglion neurons expressing calcitonin gene–related peptide (CGRP⁺). Both RA synovial fibroblast culture supernatant and netrin-4, which is abundantly expressed by lining fibroblasts and was within the GbGMI-identified pain-associated gene module, increased the branching of pain-sensitive murine CGRP⁺dorsal root ganglion neurons in vitro. Imaging of solvent-cleared synovial tissue with little inflammation from humans with RA revealed CGRP⁺pain-sensing neurons encasing blood vessels growing into synovial hypertrophic papilla. Together, these findings support a model whereby synovial lining fibroblasts express genes associated with pain that enhance the growth of pain-sensing neurons into regions of synovial hypertrophy in RA. 

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3. Hydrogel mechanics regulate fibroblast DNA methylation and chromatin condensation

   https://doi.org/10.1039/D2BM02058K  

   Sumey, Jenna L.; Johnston, Peyton C.; Harrell, Abigail M.; Caliari, Steven R. (April 2023, Biomaterials Science)

   We engineered a hydrogel platform matching either normal or diseased lung tissue mechanics and tracked time-dependent changes in fibroblast DNA methylation and chromatin condensation in response to both static and dynamic mechanical cues. 

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4. DNA methylation dataset of bovine embryonic fibroblast cells treated with epigenetic modifiers and divergent energy supply

   https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2022.108074  

   Diniz, Wellison J.S.; Crouse, Matthew S.; Caton, Joel S.; Claycombe-Larson, Kate J.; Lindholm-Perry, Amanda K.; Reynolds, Lawrence P.; Dahlen, Carl R.; Borowicz, Pawel P.; Ward, Alison K. (June 2022, Data in Brief)
5. Label-free imaging of fibroblast membrane interfaces and protein signatures with vibrational infrared photothermal and phase signals

   https://doi.org/10.1364/BOE.411888  

   Samolis, Panagis_D; Langley, Daniel; O’Reilly, Breanna_M; Oo, Zay; Hilzenrat, Geva; Erramilli, Shyamsunder; Sgro, Allyson_E; McArthur, Sally; Sander, Michelle_Y (December 2020, Biomedical Optics Express)

   Label-free vibrational imaging of biological samples has attracted significant interest due to its integration of structural and chemical information. Vibrational infrared photothermal amplitude and phase signal (VIPPS) imaging provide label-free chemical identification by targeting the characteristic resonances of biological compounds that are present in the mid-infrared fingerprint region (3 µm - 12 µm). High contrast imaging of subcellular features and chemical identification of protein secondary structures in unlabeled and labeled fibroblast cells embedded in a collagen-rich extracellular matrix is demonstrated by combining contrast from absorption signatures (amplitude signals) with sensitive detection of different heat properties (lock-in phase signals). We present that the detectability of nano-sized cell membranes is enhanced to well below the optical diffraction limit since the membranes are found to act as thermal barriers. VIPPS offers a novel combination of chemical imaging and thermal diffusion characterization that paves the way towards label-free imaging of cell models and tissues as well as the study of intracellular heat dynamics. 

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