MBInsights Annual

2016 Edition

MBI Science Communications | OCT 2016

An annual summary of research at the Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore

The purpose of these synopses is to show the breadth of the research coming from the MBI. We are very proud of the fact that we have been able to build an institute with state-of-the-art capabilities in super-resolution microscopy and microfabrication. Our open lab environment and the energy of our students and postdocs have combined to take advantage of our experimental tools to answer important biological questions. Because we believe that these tools should be utilized to solve many more problems in the biomedical sciences, we invite you and your colleagues to join us in collaborative studies to solve those problems. Many different disciplines are needed since the problems need the tools of physicists, biologists, computational scientists, and engineers, working side-by-side to better understand how biological systems integrate mechanical cues and physical forces from the world around them.

We hope that you find these research summaries interesting, and we invite you to join us in collaborative studies at the MBI.

Table of Contents

Adhesion ABC

Discovering the universal building blocks of cell adhesion

Dissecting Focal Adhesions

Super-resolution imaging reveals how talin sets the height of focal adhesions

Why Do Cells Stretch?

Cycles of mechanical stretching and relaxation promote cell spreading and growth 26 Surviving an Immune Attack How Salmonella has evolved to embrace acid attack by the immune system

Regulating Neuron Growth

The protein BNIP-H transports neurotransmitter precursors to the synapse along the cytoskeleton using kinesin motors

Forces Acting Far and Wide

How local forces applied on the cell surface induce distant effects on actin remodeling

Multicolour Super Resolution Imaging

A new method to monitor dynamic protein binding at subsecond timescales in living cells

Shaping Cell Behaviour

Growing cells on different geometries leads to distinct changes in cytoskeletal organization and nuclear deformability

Salmonella Lifestyle Choices

The bacterial protein SsrB acts as a molecular switch to determine whether Salmonella is infectious or dormant

Defining Adhesion Clusters

Nanoscale observation of the formation of adherens junctions between cells

Biology in a Twist

The inherent asymmetry of actin filaments determines the ‘handedness’ of cells

Active Junction Formation

Functionalized surfaces reveal that cell-cell junctions form via an active, all-ornothing process

A Mechanical Stop Sign

Cancer cells ignore topographic instructions aimed at slowing growth

When Stressed Cells Relax

Mechanical processes facilitate membrane remodeling in response to physical stress

Cellular Instructions for Tissue Repair

How tissue geometry regulates wound repair mechanisms

Forcing Wounds Closed

A cellular tug-of-war mechanically drives gap closure

Fluid on Soft…Solid on Stiff

Cells adapt their internal organization depending on the stiffness of their surroundings

Lipid Anchors Sustain Life

Glycolipid anchors stabilize the embryonic membrane against mechanical stresses

Shaping Lumens by Force

Using a minimal organ approach reveals that mechanical tension guides lumen elongation

Clustering Drives Formation of Subcellular Morphogen Gradients

A new theoretical model explains concentration gradient formation during development 22 H-NS Proteins as Gene Silencers Single-molecule manipulation picks apart the mystery of gene silencing

Microfluidics for Liquid Biopsies

A spiral microfluidic chip enables fast, non-invasive isolation of cancer cells from blood

Culturing Circulating Tumour Cells

Specifically designed microwells allow capture and cultivation of tumour cells to improve patient diagnosis and treatment

Single Objective Lightsheet Microscopy for 3D SuperResolution

Imaging Innovative microfabrication brings super-resolution imaging to conventional microscope systems