Impedance flow cytometry gauges proliferative capacity by detecting TRPC1 expression

Brief Magnetic Field Exposure Stimulates Doxorubicin Uptake into Breast Cancer Cells in Association with TRPC1 Expression: A Precision Oncology Methodology to Enhance Chemotherapeutic Outcome

Background/Objectives: Doxorubicin (DOX) is commonly used as a chemotherapeutic agent for the treatment of breast cancer. Nonetheless, its systemic delivery via intravenous injection and toxicity towards healthy tissues commonly result in a broad range of detrimental side effects. Breast cancer severity was previously shown to be correlated with TRPC1 channel expression that conferred upon it enhanced vulnerability to pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) therapy. PEMF therapy was also previously shown to enhance breast cancer cell vulnerability to DOX in vitro and in vivo that correlated with TRPC1 expression and mitochondrial respiratory rates. Methods: DOX uptake was assessed by measuring its innate autofluorescence within murine 4T1 or human MCF7 breast cancer cells following magnetic exposure. Cellular vulnerability to doxorubicin uptake was assessed by monitoring mitochondrial activity and cellular DNA content. Results: Here, we demonstrate that 10 min of PEMF exposure could augment DOX uptake into 4T1 and MCF7 breast cancer cells. DOX uptake could be increased by TRPC1 overexpression, whereas inhibiting the activity of TRPC1 channels with SKF-96356 or genetic knockdown, precluded DOX uptake. PEMF exposure enhances DOX-mediated killing of breast cancer cells, reducing the IC50 value of DOX by half, whereas muscle cells, representative of collateral tissues, were less sensitive to PEMF-enhanced DOX-mediated cytotoxicity. Vesicular loading of DOX correlated with TRPC1 expression. Conclusions: This study presents a novel TRPC1-mediated mechanism through which PEMF therapy may enhance DOX cytotoxicity in breast cancer cells, paving the way for the development of localized non-invasive PEMF platforms to improve cancer outcomes with lower systemic levels of DOX.

Are Aminoglycoside Antibiotics TRPing Your Metabolic Switches?

Transient receptor potential (TRP) channels are broadly implicated in the developmental programs of most tissues. Amongst these tissues, skeletal muscle and adipose are noteworthy for being essential in establishing systemic metabolic balance. TRP channels respond to environmental stimuli by supplying intracellular calcium that instigates enzymatic cascades of developmental consequence and often impinge on mitochondrial function and biogenesis. Critically, aminoglycoside antibiotics (AGAs) have been shown to block the capacity of TRP channels to conduct calcium entry into the cell in response to a wide range of developmental stimuli of a biophysical nature, including mechanical, electromagnetic, thermal, and chemical. Paradoxically, in vitro paradigms commonly used to understand organismal muscle and adipose development may have been led astray by the conventional use of streptomycin, an AGA, to help prevent bacterial contamination. Accordingly, streptomycin has been shown to disrupt both in vitro and in vivo myogenesis, as well as the phenotypic switch of white adipose into beige thermogenic status. In vivo, streptomycin has been shown to disrupt TRP-mediated calcium-dependent exercise adaptations of importance to systemic metabolism. Alternatively, streptomycin has also been used to curb detrimental levels of calcium leakage into dystrophic skeletal muscle through aberrantly gated TRPC1 channels that have been shown to be involved in the etiology of X-linked muscular dystrophies. TRP channels susceptible to AGA antagonism are critically involved in modulating the development of muscle and adipose tissues that, if administered to behaving animals, may translate to systemwide metabolic disruption. Regenerative medicine and clinical communities need to be made aware of this caveat of AGA usage and seek viable alternatives, to prevent contamination or infection in in vitro and in vivo paradigms, respectively.

Synergistic Cellular Responses Conferred by Concurrent Optical and Magnetic Stimulation Are Attenuated by Simultaneous Exposure to Streptomycin: An Antibiotic Dilemma

Concurrent optical and magnetic stimulation (COMS) combines extremely low-frequency electromagnetic and light exposure for enhanced wound healing. We investigated the potential mechanistic synergism between the magnetic and light components of COMS by comparing their individual and combined cellular responses. Lone magnetic field exposure produced greater enhancements in cell proliferation than light alone, yet the combined effects of magnetic fields and light were supra-additive of the individual responses. Reactive oxygen species were incrementally reduced by exposure to light, magnetics fields, and their combination, wherein statistical significance was only achieved by the combined COMS modality. By contrast, ATP production was most greatly enhanced by magnetic exposure in combination with light, indicating that mitochondrial respiratory efficiency was improved by the combination of magnetic fields plus light. Protein expression pertaining to cell proliferation was preferentially enhanced by the COMS modality, as were the protein levels of the TRPC1 cation channel that had been previously implicated as part of a calcium-mitochondrial signaling axis invoked by electromagnetic exposure and necessary for proliferation. These results indicate that light facilitates functional synergism with magnetic fields that ultimately impinge on mitochondria-dependent developmental responses. Aminoglycoside antibiotics (AGAs) have been previously shown to inhibit TRPC1-mediated magnetotransduction, whereas their influence over photomodulation has not been explored. Streptomycin applied during exposure to light, magnetic fields, or COMS reduced their respective proliferation enhancements, whereas streptomycin added after the exposure did not. Magnetic field exposure and the COMS modality were capable of partially overcoming the antagonism of proliferation produced by streptomycin treatment, whereas light alone was not. The antagonism of photon-electromagnetic effects by streptomycin implicates TRPC1-mediated calcium entry in both magnetotransduction and photomodulation. Avoiding the prophylactic use of AGAs during COMS therapy will be crucial for maintaining clinical efficacy and is a common concern in most other electromagnetic regenerative paradigms.

Scaling up stem cell production: harnessing the potential of microfluidic devices

Stem cells are specialised cells characterised by their unique ability to both self-renew and transform into a wide array of specialised cell types. The widespread interest in stem cells for regenerative medicine and cultivated meat has led to a significant demand for these cells in both research and practical applications. Despite the growing need for stem cell manufacturing, the industry faces significant obstacles, including high costs for equipment and maintenance, complicated operation, and low product quality and yield. Microfluidic technology presents a promising solution to the abovementioned challenges. As an innovative approach for manipulating liquids and cells within microchannels, microfluidics offers a plethora of advantages at an industrial scale. These benefits encompass low setup costs, ease of operation and multiplexing, minimal energy consumption, and the added advantage of being labour-free. This review presents a thorough examination of the prominent microfluidic technologies employed in stem cell research and explores their promising applications in the burgeoning stem cell industry. It thoroughly examines how microfluidics can enhance cell harvesting from tissue samples, facilitate mixing and cryopreservation, streamline microcarrier production, and efficiently conduct cell separation, purification, washing, and final cell formulation post-culture.

Harmonizing Magnetic Mitohormetic Regenerative Strategies: Developmental Implications of a Calcium-Mitochondrial Axis Invoked by Magnetic Field Exposure

Mitohormesis is a process whereby mitochondrial stress responses, mediated by reactive oxygen species (ROS), act cumulatively to either instill survival adaptations (low ROS levels) or to produce cell damage (high ROS levels). The mitohormetic nature of extremely low-frequency electromagnetic field (ELF-EMF) exposure thus makes it susceptible to extraneous influences that also impinge on mitochondrial ROS production and contribute to the collective response. Consequently, magnetic stimulation paradigms are prone to experimental variability depending on diverse circumstances. The failure, or inability, to control for these factors has contributed to the existing discrepancies between published reports and in the interpretations made from the results generated therein. Confounding environmental factors include ambient magnetic fields, temperature, the mechanical environment, and the conventional use of aminoglycoside antibiotics. Biological factors include cell type and seeding density as well as the developmental, inflammatory, or senescence statuses of cells that depend on the prior handling of the experimental sample. Technological aspects include magnetic field directionality, uniformity, amplitude, and duration of exposure. All these factors will exhibit manifestations at the level of ROS production that will culminate as a unified cellular response in conjunction with magnetic exposure. Fortunately, many of these factors are under the control of the experimenter. This review will focus on delineating areas requiring technical and biological harmonization to assist in the designing of therapeutic strategies with more clearly defined and better predicted outcomes and to improve the mechanistic interpretation of the generated data, rather than on precise applications. This review will also explore the underlying mechanistic similarities between magnetic field exposure and other forms of biophysical stimuli, such as mechanical stimuli, that mutually induce elevations in intracellular calcium and ROS as a prerequisite for biological outcome. These forms of biophysical stimuli commonly invoke the activity of transient receptor potential cation channel classes, such as TRPC1.

The Developmental Implications of Muscle-Targeted Magnetic Mitohormesis: A Human Health and Longevity Perspective

Muscle function reflects muscular mitochondrial status, which, in turn, is an adaptive response to physical activity, representing improvements in energy production for de novo biosynthesis or metabolic efficiency. Differences in muscle performance are manifestations of the expression of distinct contractile-protein isoforms and of mitochondrial-energy substrate utilization. Powerful contractures require immediate energy production from carbohydrates outside the mitochondria that exhaust rapidly. Sustained muscle contractions require aerobic energy production from fatty acids by the mitochondria that is slower and produces less force. These two patterns of muscle force generation are broadly classified as glycolytic or oxidative, respectively, and require disparate levels of increased contractile or mitochondrial protein production, respectively, to be effectively executed. Glycolytic muscle, hence, tends towards fibre hypertrophy, whereas oxidative fibres are more disposed towards increased mitochondrial content and efficiency, rather than hypertrophy. Although developmentally predetermined muscle classes exist, a degree of functional plasticity persists across all muscles post-birth that can be modulated by exercise and generally results in an increase in the oxidative character of muscle. Oxidative muscle is most strongly correlated with organismal metabolic balance and longevity because of the propensity of oxidative muscle for fatty-acid oxidation and associated anti-inflammatory ramifications which occur at the expense of glycolytic-muscle development and hypertrophy. This muscle-class size disparity is often at odds with common expectations that muscle mass should scale positively with improved health and longevity. Brief magnetic-field activation of the muscle mitochondrial pool has been shown to recapitulate key aspects of the oxidative-muscle phenotype with similar metabolic hallmarks. This review discusses the common genetic cascades invoked by endurance exercise and magnetic-field therapy and the potential physiological differences with regards to human health and longevity. Future human studies examining the physiological consequences of magnetic-field therapy are warranted.

Brief exposure to directionally-specific pulsed electromagnetic fields stimulates extracellular vesicle release and is antagonized by streptomycin: A potential regenerative medicine and food industry paradigm

Pulsing electromagnetic fields (PEMFs) have been shown to promote in vitro and in vivo myogeneses via mitohormetic survival adaptations of which secretome activation is a key component. A single 10-min exposure of donor myoblast cultures to 1.5 mT amplitude PEMFs produced a conditioned media (pCM) capable of enhancing the myogenesis of recipient cultures to a similar degree as direct magnetic exposure. Downwardly-directed magnetic fields produced greater secretome responses than upwardly-directed fields in adherent and fluid-suspended myoblasts. The suspension paradigm allowed for the rapid concentrating of secreted factors, particularly of extracellular vesicles. The brief conditioning of basal media from magnetically-stimulated myoblasts was capable of conferring myoblast survival to a greater degree than basal media supplemented with fetal bovine serum (5%). Downward-directed magnetic fields, applied directly to cells or in the form of pCM, upregulated the protein expression of TRPC channels, markers for cell cycle progression and myogenesis. Direct magnetic exposure produced mild oxidative stress, whereas pCM provision did not, providing a survival advantage on recipient cells. Streptomycin, a TRP channel antagonist, precluded the production of a myogenic pCM. We present a methodology employing a brief and non-invasive PEMF-exposure paradigm to effectively stimulate secretome production and release for commercial or clinical exploitation.

Modulated TRPC1 Expression Predicts Sensitivity of Breast Cancer to Doxorubicin and Magnetic Field Therapy: Segue Towards a Precision Medicine Approach

Chemotherapy is the mainstream treatment modality for invasive breast cancer. Unfortunately, chemotherapy-associated adverse events can result in early termination of treatment. Paradoxical effects of chemotherapy are also sometimes observed, whereby prolonged exposure to high doses of chemotherapeutic agents results in malignant states resistant to chemotherapy. In this study, potential synergism between doxorubicin (DOX) and pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) therapy was investigated in: 1) MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells in vitro; 2) MCF-7 tumors implanted onto a chicken chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) and; 3) human patient-derived and MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer xenografts implanted into NOD-SCID gamma (NSG) mice. In vivo, synergism was observed in patient-derived and breast cancer cell line xenograft mouse models, wherein PEMF exposure and DOX administration individually reduced tumor size and increased apoptosis and could be augmented by combined treatments. In the CAM xenograft model, DOX and PEMF exposure also synergistically reduced tumor size as well as reduced Transient Receptor Potential Canonical 1 (TRPC1) channel expression. In vitro, PEMF exposure alone impaired the survival of MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells, but not that of non-malignant MCF10A breast cells; the selective vulnerability of breast cancer cells to PEMF exposure was corroborated in human tumor biopsy samples. Stable overexpression of TRPC1 enhanced the vulnerability of MCF-7 cells to both DOX and PEMF exposure and promoted proliferation, whereas TRPC1 genetic silencing reduced sensitivity to both DOX and PEMF treatments and mitigated proliferation. Chronic exposure to DOX depressed TRPC1 expression, proliferation, and responses to both PEMF exposure and DOX in a manner that was reversible upon removal of DOX. TRPC1 channel overexpression and silencing positively correlated with markers of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), including SLUG, SNAIL, VIMENTIN, and E-CADHERIN, indicating increased and decreased EMT, respectively. Finally, PEMF exposure was shown to attenuate the invasiveness of MCF-7 cells in correlation with TRPC1 expression. We thus demonstrate that the expression levels of TRPC1 consistently predicted breast cancer sensitivity to DOX and PEMF interventions and positively correlated to EMT status, providing an initial rationale for the use of PEMF-based therapies as an adjuvant to DOX chemotherapy for the treatment of breast cancers characterized by elevated TRPC1 expression levels.

A flow cytometric journey into cell cycle analysis

Cell cycle involves a series of changes that lead to cell growth and division. Cell cycle analysis is crucial to understand cellular responses to changing environmental conditions. Since its inception, flow cytometry has been particularly useful for cell cycle analysis at single cell level due to its speed and precision. Previously, flow cytometric cell cycle analysis relied solely on the measurement of cellular DNA content. Later, methods were developed for multiparametric analysis. This review explains the journey of flow cytometry to understand different molecular and cellular events underlying cell cycle using various protocols. Recent advances in the field that overcome the shortcomings of traditional flow cytometry and expand its scope for cell cycle studies are also discussed.

Cell-Derived Vesicles as TRPC1 Channel Delivery Systems for the Recovery of Cellular Respiratory and Proliferative Capacities

Pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMFs) are capable of specifically activating a TRPC1-mitochondrial axis underlying cell expansion and mitohormetic survival adaptations. This study characterizes cell-derived vesicles (CDVs) generated from C2C12 murine myoblasts and shows that they are equipped with the sufficient molecular machinery to confer mitochondrial respiratory capacity and associated proliferative responses upon their fusion with recipient cells. CDVs derived from wild type C2C12 myoblasts include the cation-permeable transient receptor potential (TRP) channels, TRPC1 and TRPA1, and directly respond to PEMF exposure with TRPC1-mediated calcium entry. By contrast, CDVs derived from C2C12 muscle cells in which TRPC1 has been genetically knocked-down using CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing, do not. Wild type C2C12-derived CDVs are also capable of restoring PEMF-induced proliferative and mitochondrial activation in two C2C12-derived TRPC1 knockdown clonal cell lines in accordance to their endogenous degree of TRPC1 suppression. C2C12 wild type CDVs respond to menthol with calcium entry and accumulation, likewise verifying TRPA1 functional gating and further corroborating compartmental integrity. Proteomic and lipidomic analyses confirm the surface membrane origin of the CDVs providing an initial indication of the minimal cellular machinery required to recover mitochondrial function. CDVs hence possess the potential of restoring respiratory and proliferative capacities to senescent cells and tissues.

Label-free impedance flow cytometry for nanotoxicity screening

The development of reliable and cost-efficient methods to assess the toxicity of nanomaterials (NMs) is critical for the proper identification of their impact on human health and for ensuring a safe progress of nanotechnology. In this study, we investigated the reliability and applicability of label-free impedance flow cytometry (IFC) for in vitro nanotoxicity screening, which avoids time-consuming labelling steps and minimizes possible NM-induced interferences. U937 human lymphoma cells were exposed for 24 h to eight different nanomaterials at five concentrations (2, 10, 20, 50, and 100 μg/mL). The NMs' effect on viability was measured using IFC and the results were compared to those obtained by trypan blue (TB) dye exclusion and conventional flow cytometry (FC). To discriminate viable from necrotic cells, the IFC measurement settings regarding signal trigger level and frequency, as well as the buffer composition, were optimised. A clear discrimination between viable and necrotic cells was obtained at 6 MHz in a sucrose-based measurement buffer. Nanomaterial-induced interferences were not detected for IFC. The IFC and TB assay results were in accordance for all NMs. The IFC was found to be robust, reliable and less prone to interferences due to the advantage of being label-free.

Ambient and supplemental magnetic fields promote myogenesis via a TRPC1-mitochondrial axis: evidence of a magnetic mitohormetic mechanism

We show that both supplemental and ambient magnetic fields modulate myogenesis. A lone 10 min exposure of myoblasts to 1.5 mT amplitude supplemental pulsed magnetic fields (PEMFs) accentuated in vitro myogenesis by stimulating transient receptor potential (TRP)-C1-mediated calcium entry and downstream nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT)-transcriptional and P300/CBP-associated factor (PCAF)-epigenetic cascades, whereas depriving myoblasts of ambient magnetic fields slowed myogenesis, reduced TRPC1 expression, and silenced NFAT-transcriptional and PCAF-epigenetic cascades. The expression levels of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator 1α, the master regulator of mitochondriogenesis, was also enhanced by brief PEMF exposure. Accordingly, mitochondriogenesis and respiratory capacity were both enhanced with PEMF exposure, paralleling TRPC1 expression and pharmacological sensitivity. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats-Cas9 knockdown of TRPC1 precluded proliferative and mitochondrial responses to supplemental PEMFs, whereas small interfering RNA gene silencing of TRPM7 did not, coinciding with data that magnetoreception did not coincide with the expression or function of other TRP channels. The aminoglycoside antibiotics antagonized and down-regulated TRPC1 expression and, when applied concomitantly with PEMF exposure, attenuated PEMF-stimulated calcium entry, mitochondrial respiration, proliferation, differentiation, and epigenetic directive in myoblasts, elucidating why the developmental potential of magnetic fields may have previously escaped detection. Mitochondrial-based survival adaptations were also activated upon PEMF stimulation. Magnetism thus deploys an authentic myogenic directive that relies on an interplay between mitochondria and TRPC1 to reach fruition.-Yap, J. L. Y., Tai, Y. K., Fröhlich, J., Fong, C. H. H., Yin, J. N., Foo, Z. L., Ramanan, S., Beyer, C., Toh, S. J., Casarosa, M., Bharathy, N., Kala, M. P., Egli, M., Taneja, R., Lee, C. N., Franco-Obregón, A. Ambient and supplemental magnetic fields promote myogenesis via a TRPC1-mitochondrial axis: evidence of a magnetic mitohormetic mechanism.

Rapid determination of general cell status, cell viability, and optimal harvest time in eukaryotic cell cultures by impedance flow cytometry

The determination of cell viability is essential to many areas of life sciences and biotechnology. Typically, cell viability measurements are based on the optical analysis of stained cells, which requires additional labeling steps and is hard to implement online. Frequency-dependent impedance flow cytometry (IFC) provides a label-free, fast, and reliable alternative to determine cell viability at the single cell level based on the Coulter principle. Here, we describe the application of IFC to eukaryotic cell cultures and compare the results to commonly used staining methods. Yeast cell parameters were assessed in normal and heat-inactivated cells as well as in alcoholic fermentation and long-term batch cultures providing a precise and fast determination of the cell viability and further quantitative measures of the cell culture status. As an important new application, we have investigated recombinant protein production in the widely used baculovirus insect cell expression system. The IFC analysis revealed the presence of a subpopulation of cells, which correlates with the protein expression yield, but it is not detectable with conventional optical cell counters. We tentatively identify this subpopulation as cells in the late phase of infection. Their detection can serve as a predictor for the optimal time point of harvest. The IFC technique should be generally applicable to many eukaryotic cell cultures in suspension, possibly also implemented online.

TRPC6 in simulated microgravity of intervertebral disc cells

PURPOSE

Prolonged bed rest and microgravity in space cause intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms are not completely understood. Transient receptor potential canonical (TRPC) channels are implicated in mechanosensing of several tissues, but are poorly explored in IVDs.

METHODS

Primary human IVD cells from surgical biopsies composed of both annulus fibrosus and nucleus pulposus (passage 1-2) were exposed to simulated microgravity and to the TRPC channel inhibitor SKF-96365 (SKF) for up to 5 days. Proliferative capacity, cell cycle distribution, senescence and TRPC channel expression were analyzed.

RESULTS

Both simulated microgravity and TRPC channel antagonism reduced the proliferative capacity of IVD cells and induced senescence. While significant changes in cell cycle distributions (reduction in G1 and accumulation in G2/M) were observed upon SKF treatment, the effect was small upon 3 days of simulated microgravity. Finally, downregulation of TRPC6 was shown under simulated microgravity.

CONCLUSIONS

Simulated microgravity and TRPC channel inhibition both led to reduced proliferation and increased senescence. Furthermore, simulated microgravity reduced TRPC6 expression. IVD cell senescence and mechanotransduction may hence potentially be regulated by TRPC6 expression. This study thus reveals promising targets for future studies. These slides can be retrieved under Electronic Supplementary Material.

TRP channels in brown and white adipogenesis from human progenitors: new therapeutic targets and the caveats associated with the common antibiotic, streptomycin

Transient receptor potential (TRP) channels are polymodal cell sensors responding to diverse stimuli and widely implicated in the developmental programs of numerous tissues. The evidence for an involvement of TRP family members in adipogenesis, however, is scant. We present the first comprehensive expression profile of all known 27 human TRP genes in mesenchymal progenitors cells during white or brown adipogenesis. Using positive trilineage differentiation as an exclusion criterion, TRP polycystic (P)3, and TPR melastatin (M)8 were found to be uniquely adipospecific. Knockdown of TRPP3 repressed the expression of the brown fat signature genes uncoupling protein (UCP)-1 and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator (PGC)-1α as well as attenuated forskolin-stimulated uncoupled respiration. However, indices of generalized adipogenesis, such as lipid droplet morphology and fatty acid binding protein (FAPB)-4 expression, were not affected, indicating a principal mitochondrial role of TRPP3. Conversely, activating TRPM8 with menthol up-regulated UCP-1 expression and augmented uncoupled respiration predominantly in white adipocytes (browning), whereas streptomycin antagonized TRPM8-mediated calcium entry, downregulated UCP-1 expression, and mitigated uncoupled respiration; menthol was less capable of augmenting uncoupled respiration (thermogenesis) in brown adipocytes. TRPP3 and TRPM8 hence appear to be involved in the priming of mitochondria to perform uncoupled respiration downstream of adenylate cyclase. Our results also underscore the developmental caveats of using antibiotics in adipogenic studies.-Goralczyk, A., van Vijven, M., Koch, M., Badowski, C., Yassin, M. S., Toh, S.-A., Shabbir, A., Franco-Obregón, A., Raghunath, M. TRP channels in brown and white adipogenesis from human progenitors: new therapeutic targets and the caveats associated with the common antibiotic, streptomycin.

Label-free identification of activated T lymphocytes through tridimensional microsensors on chip

Label-free approaches to assess cell properties ideally suit the requirements of cell-based therapeutics, since they permit to characterize cells with minimal perturbation and manipulation, at the benefit of sample recovery and re-employment for treatment. For this reason, label-free techniques would find sensible application in adoptive T cell-based immunotherapy. In this work, we describe the label-free and single-cell detection of in vitro activated T lymphocytes in flow through an electrical impedance-based setup. We describe a novel platform featuring 3D free-standing microelectrodes presenting passive upstream and downstream extensions and integrated into microfluidic channels. We employ such device to measure the impedance change associated with T cell activation at electrical frequencies maximizing the difference between non-activated and activated T cells. Finally, we harness the impedance signature of unstimulated T cells to set a boundary separating activated and non-activated clones, so to characterize the selectivity and specificity of the system. In conclusion, the strategy here proposed highlights the possible employment of impedance to assess T cell activation in label-free.

Functional KCa1.1 channels are crucial for regulating the proliferation, migration and differentiation of human primary skeletal myoblasts

Myoblasts are mononucleated precursors of myofibers; they persist in mature skeletal muscles for growth and regeneration post injury. During myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1), a complex autosomal-dominant neuromuscular disease, the differentiation of skeletal myoblasts into functional myotubes is impaired, resulting in muscle wasting and weakness. The mechanisms leading to this altered differentiation are not fully understood. Here, we demonstrate that the calcium- and voltage-dependent potassium channel, KCa1.1 (BK, Slo1, KCNMA1), regulates myoblast proliferation, migration, and fusion. We also show a loss of plasma membrane expression of the pore-forming α subunit of KCa1.1 in DM1 myoblasts. Inhibiting the function of KCa1.1 in healthy myoblasts induced an increase in cytosolic calcium levels and altered nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB) levels without affecting cell survival. In these normal cells, KCa1.1 block resulted in enhanced proliferation and decreased matrix metalloproteinase secretion, migration, and myotube fusion, phenotypes all observed in DM1 myoblasts and associated with disease pathogenesis. In contrast, introducing functional KCa1.1 α-subunits into DM1 myoblasts normalized their proliferation and rescued expression of the late myogenic marker Mef2. Our results identify KCa1.1 channels as crucial regulators of skeletal myogenesis and suggest these channels as novel therapeutic targets in DM1.

Label-free whole blood cell differentiation based on multiple frequency AC impedance and light scattering analysis in a micro flow cytometer

We developed a microfluidic sensor for label-free flow cytometric cell differentiation by combined multiple AC electrical impedance and light scattering analysis. The measured signals are correlated to cell volume, membrane capacity and optical properties of single cells. For an improved signal to noise ratio, the microfluidic sensor incorporates two electrode pairs for differential impedance detection. One-dimensional sheath flow focusing was implemented, which allows single particle analysis at kHz count rates. Various monodisperse particles and differentiation of leukocytes in haemolysed samples served to benchmark the microdevice applying combined AC impedance and side scatter analyses. In what follows, we demonstrate that AC impedance measurements at selected frequencies allow label-free discrimination of platelets, erythrocytes, monocytes, granulocytes and lymphocytes in whole blood samples involving dilution only. Immunofluorescence staining was applied to validate the results of the label-free cell analysis. Reliable differentiation and enumeration of cells in whole blood by AC impedance detection have the potential to support medical diagnosis for patients with haemolysis resistant erythrocytes or abnormally sensitive leucocytes, i.e. for patients suffering from anaemia or leukaemia.

An adaptable stage perfusion incubator for the controlled cultivation of C2C12 myoblasts

Here we present a stage perfusion incubation system that allows for the cultivation of mammalian cells within PDMS microfluidic devices for long-term microscopic examination and analysis. The custom-built stage perfusion incubator is adaptable to any x-y microscope stage and is enabled for temperature, gas and humidity control as well as equipped with chip and tubing holder. The applied double-layered microfluidic chip allows the predetermined positioning and concentration of cells while the gas permeable PDMS material facilitates pH control via CO2 levels throughout the chip. We demonstrate the functionality of this system by culturing C2C12 murine myoblasts in buffer free medium within its confines for up to 26 hours. We moreover demonstrated the system's compatibility with various chip configurations, other cells lines (HEK-293 cells) and for longer-term culturing. The cost-efficient system are applicable for any type of PDMS-based cell culture system. Detailed technical drawings and specification to reproduce this perfusion incubation system is provided in the ESI.

Transient receptor potential vanilloid 2-mediated shear-stress responses in C2C12 myoblasts are regulated by serum and extracellular matrix

The developmental sensitivity of skeletal muscle to mechanical forces is unparalleled in other tissues. Calcium entry via reputedly mechanosensitive transient receptor potential (TRP) channel classes has been shown to play an essential role in both the early proliferative stage and subsequent differentiation of skeletal muscle myoblasts, particularly TRP canonical (TRPC) 1 and TRP vanilloid (TRPV) 2. Here we show that C2C12 murine myoblasts respond to fluid flow-induced shear stress with increments in cytosolic calcium that are largely initiated by the mechanosensitive opening of TRPV2 channels. Response to fluid flow was augmented by growth in low extracellular serum concentration (5 vs. 20% fetal bovine serum) by greater than 9-fold and at 18 h in culture, coincident with the greatest TRPV2 channel expression under identical conditions (P < 0.02). Fluid flow responses were also enhanced by substrate functionalization with laminin, rather than with fibronectin, agreeing with previous findings that the gating of TRPV2 is facilitated by laminin. Fluid flow-induced calcium increments were blocked by ruthenium red (27%) and SKF-96365 (38%), whereas they were unaltered by 2-aminoethoxydiphenyl borate, further corroborating that TRPV2 channels play a predominant role in fluid flow mechanosensitivity over that of TRPC1 and TRP melastatin (TRPM) 7.