2-hydroxyglutarate mediates whitening of brown adipocytes coupled to nuclear softening upon mitochondrial dysfunction

Mitochondria have a crucial role in regulating cellular homeostasis in response to intrinsic and extrinsic cues by changing cellular metabolism to meet these challenges. However, the molecular underpinnings of this regulation and the complete spectrum of these physiological outcomes remain largely unexplored. In this study, we elucidate the mechanisms driving…

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Integrin β1 activity controls colony morphology during human pluripotent stem cell state transitions

Integrin β1-mediated adhesion is dispensable in early mouse embryogenesis (pre-implantation) but indispensable post-implantation, suggesting distinct roles for β1-integrin-mediated adhesions in the naive (pre-implantation) versus primed (post-implantation) pluripotent stem cells (PSCs). We investigated the role of integrin β1 in regulating naive-like and primed human induced PSC (hiPSC) states. We find that…

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Sphingolipid metabolism orchestrates establishment of the hair follicle stem cell compartment

Sphingolipids serve as building blocks of membranes to ensure subcellular compartmentalization and facilitate intercellular communication. How cell type-specific lipid compositions are achieved and what is their functional significance in tissue morphogenesis and maintenance has remained unclear. Here, we identify a stem cell-specific role for ceramide synthase 4 (CerS4) in orchestrating…

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Measuring and manipulating mechanical forces during development

Tissue deformations are a central feature of development, from early embryogenesis, growth and building the body plan to the establishment of functional organs. These deformations often result from active contractile forces generated by cells and cell collectives, and are mediated by changes in their mechanical properties. Mechanical forces drive the…

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The role and regulation of integrins in cell migration and invasion

Integrin receptors are the main molecular link between cells and the extracellular matrix (ECM) as well as mediating cell-cell interactions. Integrin-ECM binding triggers the formation of heterogeneous multi-protein assemblies termed integrin adhesion complexes (IACs) that enable integrins to transform extracellular cues into intracellular signals that affect many cellular processes, especially…

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