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Abstract
In recent years, we have seen an increasing focus in the academic environment on equity, diversity and inclusion. However, one broad group often left out of these discussions are disabled scientists/scientists with disabilities, who often face severe challenges entering the research profession and navigating their careers. Building on the success of the 2022 Young Embryologist Network's meeting, which included a session on 'Working in science with a disability' ( Morgan, 2023) we learn here from the lived experiences of five biologists who share the challenges and successes of undertaking a scientific career with a disability, as well as accommodations that can make science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine (STEMM) careers more accessible and inclusive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelsey L. Anbuhl
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, 4 Washington Place, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - Oscar Cazares
- Genentech Inc., 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | - Katharine A. Hubert
- Department of Cell and Regenerative Biology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI 53705, USA
- Genetics Training Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53703, USA
| | - Riya Mahapatra
- Molecular Parasitology Laboratory, Institute of Bioinformatics and Applied Biotechnology, Biotech Park, Electronics City Phase I, Bengaluru 560 100, India
| | - Jack D. Morgan
- Centre for Craniofacial & Regenerative Biology, King's College London, Guy's Hospital, London SE1 9RT, UK
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2
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Wald T, Verma A, Cooley V, Marangoni P, Cazares O, Sharir A, Sandoval EJ, Sung D, Najibi H, Drennon TY, Bush JO, Joester D, Klein OD. A Suite of Mouse Reagents for Studying Amelogenesis. bioRxiv 2023:2023.03.30.534992. [PMID: 37034814 PMCID: PMC10081212 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.30.534992] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Amelogenesis, the formation of dental enamel, is driven by specialized epithelial cells called ameloblasts, which undergo successive stages of differentiation. Ameloblasts secrete enamel matrix proteins (EMPs), proteases, calcium, and phosphate ions in a stage-specific manner to form mature tooth enamel. Developmental defects in tooth enamel are common in humans, and they can greatly impact the well-being of affected individuals. Our understanding of amelogenesis and developmental pathologies is rooted in past studies using epithelial Cre driver and knockout alleles. However, the available mouse models are limited, as most do not allow targeting different ameloblast sub-populations, and constitutive loss of EMPs often results in severe phenotype in the mineral, making it difficult to interpret defect mechanisms. Herein, we report on the design and verification of a toolkit of twelve mouse alleles that include ameloblast-stage specific Cre recombinases, fluorescent reporter alleles, and conditional flox alleles for the major EMPs. We show how these models may be used for applications such as sorting of live stage specific ameloblasts, whole mount imaging, and experiments with incisor explants. The full list of new alleles is available at https://dev.facebase.org/enamelatlas/mouse-models/ .
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Yu T, Cazares O, Tang AD, Kim HY, Wald T, Verma A, Liu Q, Barcellos-Hoff MH, Floor SN, Jung HS, Brooks AN, Klein OD. SRSF1 governs progenitor-specific alternative splicing to maintain adult epithelial tissue homeostasis and renewal. Dev Cell 2022; 57:624-637.e4. [PMID: 35202586 PMCID: PMC8974236 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2022.01.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2020] [Revised: 11/04/2021] [Accepted: 01/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Alternative splicing generates distinct mRNA variants and is essential for development, homeostasis, and renewal. Proteins of the serine/arginine (SR)-rich splicing factor family are major splicing regulators that are broadly required for organ development as well as cell and organism viability. However, how these proteins support adult organ function remains largely unknown. Here, we used the continuously growing mouse incisor as a model to dissect the functions of the prototypical SR family protein SRSF1 during tissue homeostasis and renewal. We identified an SRSF1-governed alternative splicing network that is specifically required for dental proliferation and survival of progenitors but dispensable for the viability of differentiated cells. We also observed a similar progenitor-specific role of SRSF1 in the small intestinal epithelium, indicating a conserved function of SRSF1 across adult epithelial tissues. Thus, our findings define a regulatory mechanism by which SRSF1 specifically controls progenitor-specific alternative splicing events to support adult tissue homeostasis and renewal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tingsheng Yu
- Department of Orofacial Sciences and Program in Craniofacial Biology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Oscar Cazares
- Department of Orofacial Sciences and Program in Craniofacial Biology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Alison D Tang
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Hyun-Yi Kim
- Division in Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Department of Oral Biology, Oral Science Research Center, BK21 PLUS Project, Yonsei University College of Dentistry, Seoul, Korea
| | - Tomas Wald
- Department of Orofacial Sciences and Program in Craniofacial Biology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Adya Verma
- Department of Orofacial Sciences and Program in Craniofacial Biology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Qi Liu
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94115, USA
| | - Mary Helen Barcellos-Hoff
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94115, USA
| | - Stephen N Floor
- Department of Cell and Tissue Biology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Han-Sung Jung
- Division in Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Department of Oral Biology, Oral Science Research Center, BK21 PLUS Project, Yonsei University College of Dentistry, Seoul, Korea
| | - Angela N Brooks
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Ophir D Klein
- Department of Orofacial Sciences and Program in Craniofacial Biology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA; Department of Pediatrics and Institute for Human Genetics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.
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Cazares O, Chatterjee S, Lee P, Strietzel C, Bubolz JW, Harburg G, Howard J, Katzman S, Sanford J, Hinck L. Alveolar progenitor differentiation and lactation depends on paracrine inhibition of notch via ROBO1/CTNNB1/JAG1. Development 2021; 148:dev199940. [PMID: 34758082 PMCID: PMC8627605 DOI: 10.1242/dev.199940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2021] [Accepted: 09/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
In the mammary gland, how alveolar progenitor cells are recruited to fuel tissue growth with each estrus cycle and pregnancy remains poorly understood. Here, we identify a regulatory pathway that controls alveolar progenitor differentiation and lactation by governing Notch activation in mouse. Loss of Robo1 in the mammary gland epithelium activates Notch signaling, which expands the alveolar progenitor cell population at the expense of alveolar differentiation, resulting in compromised lactation. ROBO1 is expressed in both luminal and basal cells, but loss of Robo1 in basal cells results in the luminal differentiation defect. In the basal compartment, ROBO1 inhibits the expression of Notch ligand Jag1 by regulating β-catenin (CTNNB1), which binds the Jag1 promoter. Together, our studies reveal how ROBO1/CTTNB1/JAG1 signaling in the basal compartment exerts paracrine control of Notch signaling in the luminal compartment to regulate alveolar differentiation during pregnancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oscar Cazares
- Institute for the Biology of Stem Cells, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Sharmila Chatterjee
- Institute for the Biology of Stem Cells, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Pinky Lee
- Institute for the Biology of Stem Cells, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | | | - J. W. Bubolz
- Zoetis Inc. 333 Portage Street, Building 300, Kalamazoo, MI 49007, USA
| | - Gwyndolen Harburg
- Institute for the Biology of Stem Cells, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Jon Howard
- Institute for the Biology of Stem Cells, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Sol Katzman
- Institute for the Biology of Stem Cells, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Jeremy Sanford
- Institute for the Biology of Stem Cells, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Lindsay Hinck
- Institute for the Biology of Stem Cells, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
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Cazares O, Haque AS, Klein OD. Salivary gland: A budding genius. Dev Cell 2021; 56:2271-2272. [PMID: 34428396 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2021.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
During salivary gland development, branches arise through formation of new end buds (budding) and division of existing buds (clefting). In a recent Cell study, Wang et al., (2021) report that mouse salivary gland budding is reliant on a delicate interplay between epithelial cells and the extracellular matrix surrounding them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oscar Cazares
- Program in Craniofacial Biology and Division of Craniofacial Anomalies, Department of Orofacial Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Ameera S Haque
- Program in Craniofacial Biology and Division of Craniofacial Anomalies, Department of Orofacial Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Ophir D Klein
- Program in Craniofacial Biology and Division of Craniofacial Anomalies, Department of Orofacial Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Division of Medical Genetics, Department of Pediatrics and Institute for Human Genetics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
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6
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Abstract
Organoids offer self-organizing, three-dimensional tissue structures that recapitulate physiological processes in the convenience of a dish. The murine mammary gland is composed of two distinct epithelial cell compartments, serving different functions: the outer, contractile myoepithelial compartment and the inner, secretory luminal compartment. Here, we describe a method by which the cells comprising these compartments are isolated and then combined to investigate their individual lineage contributions to mammary gland morphogenesis and differentiation. The method is simple and efficient and does not require sophisticated separation technologies such as fluorescence activated cell sorting. Instead, we harvest and enzymatically digest the tissue, seed the epithelium on adherent tissue culture dishes, and then use differential trypsinization to separate myoepithelial from luminal cells with ~90% purity. The cells are then plated in an extracellular matrix where they organize into bilayered, three-dimensional (3D) organoids that can be differentiated to produce milk after 10 days in culture. To test the effects of genetic mutations, cells can be harvested from wild type or genetically engineered mouse models, or they can be genetically manipulated prior to 3D culture. This technique can be used to generate mosaic organoids that allow investigation of gene function specifically in the luminal or myoepithelial compartment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefany Rubio
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz
| | - Oscar Cazares
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz
| | - Hector Macias
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz
| | - Lindsay Hinck
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz;
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Le LTN, Cazares O, Mouw JK, Chatterjee S, Macias H, Moran A, Ramos J, Keely PJ, Weaver VM, Hinck L. Loss of miR-203 regulates cell shape and matrix adhesion through ROBO1/Rac/FAK in response to stiffness. J Cell Biol 2016; 212:707-19. [PMID: 26975850 PMCID: PMC4792073 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.201507054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2015] [Accepted: 02/09/2016] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Breast tumor progression is accompanied by changes in the surrounding extracellular matrix (ECM) that increase stiffness of the microenvironment. Mammary epithelial cells engage regulatory pathways that permit dynamic responses to mechanical cues from the ECM. Here, we identify a SLIT2/ROBO1 signaling circuit as a key regulatory mechanism by which cells sense and respond to ECM stiffness to preserve tensional homeostasis. We observed that Robo1 ablation in the developing mammary gland compromised actin stress fiber assembly and inhibited cell contractility to perturb tissue morphogenesis, whereas SLIT2 treatment stimulated Rac and increased focal adhesion kinase activity to enhance cell tension by maintaining cell shape and matrix adhesion. Further investigation revealed that a stiff ECM increased Robo1 levels by down-regulating miR-203. Consistently, patients whose tumor expressed a low miR-203/high Robo1 expression pattern exhibited a better overall survival prognosis. These studies show that cells subjected to stiffened environments up-regulate Robo1 as a protective mechanism that maintains cell shape and facilitates ECM adherence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lily Thao-Nhi Le
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064
| | - Oscar Cazares
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064
| | - Janna K Mouw
- Department of Surgery and Center for Bioengineering and Tissue Regeneration, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143
| | - Sharmila Chatterjee
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064
| | - Hector Macias
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064
| | - Angel Moran
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064
| | - Jillian Ramos
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064
| | - Patricia J Keely
- Department of Cellular and Regenerative Biology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706
| | - Valerie M Weaver
- Department of Surgery and Center for Bioengineering and Tissue Regeneration, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143
| | - Lindsay Hinck
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064
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