Analysis of Cellular Mechanical Properties and Nuclear Lamin Proteins As Biomarkers for Whole-Cell Mechanophenotyping of Adipose-Derived Stem Cells

González Cruz, Rafael D.

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Year:: 2018
Contributor:: González Cruz, Rafael D. (creator); Darling, Eric M. (Advisor); Hoffman-Kim, Diane (Reader); Shukla, Anita (Reader); Franck, Christian (Reader); Dahl, Kris Noel (Reader); Brown University. Biology and Medicine: Biomedical Engineering (sponsor)
Genre:: theses
Subject:: Stem cells--Research; Atomic force microscopy; adipose derived stem cells; cell elasticity; cell viscoelasticity; lamin A/C proteins; Cytoskeleton; Western immunoblotting; Flow cytometry
Extent:: 25, 143 p.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.26300/gst2-aq86

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Abstract:: Adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) represent a promising cell source for cell-based therapies and tissue engineering applications because of their multipotency and abundance. However, these cells are mechanically heterogeneous and exist in subpopulations that exhibit variability in their differentiation potential. Therefore, their widespread use in clinical applications is limited by the number of actual stem cells that can differentiate into desired lineages for a particular lineage. In this thesis, I present evidence to confirm the validity of the following scientific hypotheses: (a) cellular mechanical properties can serve as physical biomarkers to identify lineage-specific differentiation potential in clonally-derived ASCs (Chapter 2); (b) cellular mechanical properties to change across passage numbers and are important parameters to consider in ASC expansion protocols and differentiation efficiency (Chapter 3); and (c) lamin protein C serves as a potential macromolecular biomarker for whole-cell mechanophenotype and is dependent on intact cytoskeletal structures in stiff but not compliant cells (Chapter 4). I also present preliminary data that suggests that lamin A/C proteins can be used to characterize and sort cells with drastically different mechanophenotypes (Appendixes A and B). Altogether, the collection of studies hereby presented proposes the use of lamin A/C proteins for high-throughput sorting and characterization of cells with distinct mechanophenotype, such as stem cells, in heterogenous samples.
Notes:: Thesis (Ph. D.)--Brown University, 2018

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Rights: In Copyright
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González Cruz, Rafael D., "Analysis of Cellular Mechanical Properties and Nuclear Lamin Proteins As Biomarkers for Whole-Cell Mechanophenotyping of Adipose-Derived Stem Cells" (2018). Biomedical Engineering Theses and Dissertations. Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library. https://doi.org/10.26300/gst2-aq86

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Biomedical Engineering Theses and Dissertations

Theses and Dissertations for the Biomedical Engineering department.
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