Related papers: PAKing up to the endothelium
Gap junctions are channels in cell membranes allowing ions to pass directly between cells. They connect cells throughout the body, including heart myocytes, neurons, and astrocytes. Propagation mediated by gap junctions can be passive or…
A model is proposed to study the process of hypoxia-induced angiogenesis in cancer cells. The model accounts for the role played by the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A in regulating the oxygen intake. VEGF-A is dynamically…
Angiogenesis is the process by which blood vessels form from pre-existing vessels. It plays a key role in many biological processes, including embryonic development and wound healing, and contributes to many diseases including cancer and…
The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling cascade, an evolutionarily conserved motif present in all eukaryotic cells, is involved in coordinating critical cell-fate decisions, regulating protein synthesis, and mediating learning…
Motility is a basic feature of living microorganisms, and how it works is often determined by environmental cues. Recent efforts have focused on develop- ing artificial systems that can mimic microorganisms, and in particular their…
The actin cytoskeleton of cells is in continuous motion due to both polymerization of new filaments and their contraction by myosin II molecular motors. Through adhesion to the substrate, such intracellular flow can be converted into cell…
Reconstruction of gene regulatory networks is the process of identifying gene dependency from gene expression profile through some computation techniques. In our human body, though all cells pose similar genetic material but the activation…
Integrating experimental data into ecological models plays a central role in understanding biological mechanisms that drive tumor progression where such knowledge can be used to develop new therapeutic strategies. While the current studies…
The main obstacle to effective cancer treatment is the development of drug resistance, which can be divided into two categories: spontaneous and acquired drug resistance. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the main cause of…
Many familial diseases are caused by genetic accidents, which affect both the genome and its epigenetic environment, expressed as an interaction graph between the genes as that involved in one familial disease we shall study, the hereditary…
Cell polarization is a critical process that separates molecular species into two distinct regions in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, guiding biological processes such as cell division and cell differentiation. Although several underlying…
In this review we summarize our recent efforts in trying to understand the role of heterogeneity in cancer progression by using neural networks to characterise different aspects of the mapping from a cancer cells genotype and environment to…
Collective cell migration is a hallmark of developmental and patho-physiological states, including wound healing and invasive cancer growth. The integrity of the expanding epithelial sheets can be influenced by extracellular cues, including…
The polarization and motility of eukaryotic cells depends on assembly and contraction of the actin cytoskeleton and its regulation by proteins called GTPases. The activity of GTPases causes assembly of filamentous actin (by GTPases Cdc42,…
The microvascular networks in the body of vertebrates consist of the smallest vessels such as arterioles, capillaries, and venules. The flow of RBCs through these networks ensures the gas exchange in as well as the transport of nutrients to…
Modeling disease progression through multiple stages is critical for clinical decision-making for chronic diseases, e.g., cancer, diabetes, chronic kidney diseases, and so on. Existing approaches often model the disease progression as a…
The emerging field of immunometabolism has underscored the central role of metabolic pathways in orchestrating immune cell function. Far from being passive background processes, metabolic activities actively regulate key immune responses.…
Cells accomplish diverse functions using the same molecular building blocks, from setting up cytoplasmic flows to generating mechanical forces. In particular, transitions between these non-equilibrium states are triggered by regulating the…
Immune cells recognize and discriminate antigens through immunological synapses - dynamic intercellular junctions exhibiting highly organized receptor-ligand patterns. While much work has focused on molecular kinetics and passive mechanisms…
Bacteria can form a great variety of spatially heterogeneous cell density patterns, ranging from simple concentric rings to dynamical spiral waves appearing in growing colonies. These pattern formation phenomena are important as they…