Mechanobiology III

Question 1

What do breast epithelial cells do in stiff ECMs?

Answer 1

Become tumour like.
Migrate and loose epithelial properties.

Question 2

What is the Hippo pathway?

Answer 2

Regulates the formation of proper sized organs.
YAP is either degraded, or bound to 14-3-3 and retained in the cytoplasm.

Question 3

What happens to YAP in a stiff ECM?

Answer 3

There is YAP in the nucleus.

Question 4

What happens to YAP in a soft ECM?

Answer 4

There is no YAP in the nucleus.

Question 5

What happens to the structure of the nucleus in stiff ECMs?

Answer 5

The nucleus is flattened and more permeable (to things like YAP).

Question 6

What is YAP nuclear localisation regulated by?

Answer 6

Actin cytoskeleton and contractility.

Question 7

What happens to stem cell differentiation in a stiff ECM?

Answer 7

Stem cells differentiate into osteoblasts (bone cells).

Question 8

What happens to stem cell differentiation in a soft ECM?

Answer 8

Stem cells differentiate into adipocytes.

Question 9

What does active YAP ensure?

Answer 9

Proliferation
Differentiation of Osteoblasts

Question 10

What does inactive YAP ensure?

Answer 10

Apoptosis
Differentiation of adipocytes