CoE-publications

Integrins provide an essential bridge between cancer cells and the extracellular matrix, playing a central role in every stage of disease progression. Despite the recognized importance of integrin phosphorylation in several biological processes, the regulatory mechanisms and their relevance remained elusive. Here we engineer a fluorescence resonance energy transfer biosensor…

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…

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…

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…

Endothelial cells (ECs) form a tissue-specific barrier for disseminating cancer cells in distant organs. However, the molecular regulation of the ECs in the metastatic niche remains unclear. Here, we analyze using scRNA-Seq, the transcriptional reprogramming of lung ECs six hours after the arrival of melanoma cells in mouse lungs. We…

Epithelial tumors are characterized by abundant inter- and intra-tumor heterogeneity, which complicates diagnostics and treatment. The contribution of cancer-stroma interactions to this heterogeneity is poorly understood. Here, we report a paradigm to quantify phenotypic diversity in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) with single-cell resolution. By combining cell-state markers…

Despite immunotherapy’s promise in cancer treatment, patient responses vary substantially because of the individual nature of the immune system and the lack of reliable biomarkers. To address this issue, we developed a precision ex vivo platform that integrates patient-specific tumor and immune cells to study the mechanisms of antitumor immune…

Additives in vaping products, such as flavors, preservatives, or thickening agents, are commonly used to enhance user experience. Among these, Vitamin E acetate (VEA) was initially thought to be harmless but has been implicated as the primary cause of e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury, a serious lung disease.

The KRAS oncogene drives many common and highly fatal malignancies. These include pancreatic, lung, and colorectal cancer, where various activating KRAS mutations have made the development of KRAS inhibitors difficult. Here we identify the scaffold protein SH3 and multiple ankyrin repeat domain 3 (SHANK3) as a RAS interactor that binds…