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Swaminathan Lab @swaminathanlab.bsky.social · 1d

🚨Excited to share our new paper where we find that in situ ECM stiffening of mature mammary acini induces BM loss, FN deposition & invasion through α3β1/α5β1–FAK→Piezo1 axis—linking integrin switching to MSCs and epithelial remodelling. Led by the amazing Kabilan Sakthivel
tinyurl.com/stnczkc6

Integrin‐Piezo1 Axis Drives ECM Remodeling and Invasion of 3D Breast Epithelium

Mechanical stiffening of the extracellular matrix around mature mammary acini induces sequential remodeling phases. An early response disrupts the basement membrane and promotes fibronectin secretion...

advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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Reposted by Swaminathan Lab

Abby Buchwalter @abbybuch.bsky.social · Jul 22

Another paper bluetorial! Today: how does the spatial location of genes influence their function? (1/n) www.nature.com/articles/s41...

The nuclear periphery confers repression on H3K9me2-marked genes and transposons to shape cell fate - Nature Cell Biology

Marin et al. report the role of lamin proteins and the lamin B receptor (LBR) in chromatin positioning at the nuclear periphery. Knockout of all lamins and LBR in mouse embryonic stem cells leads to h...

www.nature.com

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Swaminathan Lab @swaminathanlab.bsky.social · Jul 23

Amazing work Abby! Congrats to all authors

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Reposted by Swaminathan Lab

Matthew Cobb @matthewcobb.bsky.social · Jun 26

Just learned that Frank Stahl (of the Meselson and Stahl DNA replication experiment ("the most beautiful experiment in biology") died at the beginning of April, to no fanfare. Here's a lovely video of them reminiscing: www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-tn...

The Most Beautiful Experiment: Meselson and Stahl

YouTube video by Science Communication Lab

www.youtube.com

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Swaminathan Lab @swaminathanlab.bsky.social · May 12

The feeling when you get back to the lab after a week at a gordon conference - totally inspired and energised after hearing incredible science and meeting amazing people. Thank you @tanentzapflab.bsky.social and @sarawickstrom.bsky.social for GRC Fibronectin, Integrins and related molecules.

Amazed Inspired GIF

Alt: Amazed Inspired GIF

media.tenor.com

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Swaminathan Lab @swaminathanlab.bsky.social · Apr 28

as usual beautiful data. big congrats!

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Swaminathan Lab @swaminathanlab.bsky.social · Apr 24

Fantastic surprise to have Reinhard Fässler visit Lund to talk about kindlins, integrins and mitosis.

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Reposted by Swaminathan Lab

Kristian Pietras lab @kpietraslab.bsky.social · Apr 23

Join us for innovative explorations of the tumor microenvironment🔬 Learn cutting-edge technologies and grow in a dynamic environment💡 The postdoc will work alongside a doctoral student from @adaptmet.bsky.social, gaining access to collaborative partners across 🇪🇺.
Apply now👇
tinyurl.com/4mby45hf

Postdoc in Experimental Oncology - Lund (Stad), Skåne (SE) job with Lund University | 12838990

Lunds universitet, 009999 LUNDS UNIVERSITET, 310000 MED Lund University was founded in 1666 and is repeatedly ranked among the world’s top universi...

tinyurl.com

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Swaminathan Lab @swaminathanlab.bsky.social · Mar 20

Holy wow-- this is amazing!! Congratulations!

Swaminathan Lab @swaminathanlab.bsky.social · Mar 17

Seems like a good time to share and appreciate this incredible
window to future cancer treatments and the opportunities ahead (and also appreciate its journey from test tubes to bacteria to cell culture to animal models to covid vaccine and now to this-)
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

RNA neoantigen vaccines prime long-lived CD8+ T cells in pancreatic cancer - Nature

In a phase 1 trial, patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma who were treated with surgery and bespoke neoantigen mRNA vaccines combined with anti-PD-L1 and chemotherapy exhibited marked lo...

www.nature.com

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Swaminathan Lab @swaminathanlab.bsky.social · Feb 24

So many heartbreaking stories right now coming from the US. Joe was a post-doc fellow here at WCMM Lund University and moved back to Fort Collins for family and career.
www.cbsnews.com/colorado/new...

Colorado CDC researcher terminated amid federal budget cuts while working on Lyme disease projects

Colorado research biologist Joe Cardiello was excited about being involved in what could become lifesaving research for people who have been impacted by Lyme disease.

www.cbsnews.com

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Reposted by Swaminathan Lab

Katie Langin @klangin.bsky.social · Feb 14

Dear federal scientists: If you have been affected by the probationary firings and would be willing to speak with Science, please reach out to me by email ([email protected]) or on Signal. We can guarantee annonymity.

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Swaminathan Lab @swaminathanlab.bsky.social · Feb 10

Big first for our lab on Friday as Wesley became its first PhD graduate. Congrats Wesley and a big thanks to an amazing committee including @bengoult.bsky.social (opponent), @sciezgin.bsky.social , Gunilla Westergren-Thorsson, Catharina Hagerling and Daniel Engelbertsen.

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Swaminathan Lab @swaminathanlab.bsky.social · Feb 4

what a fantastic lineup!!

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Swaminathan Lab @swaminathanlab.bsky.social · Feb 1

🚨🚨🚨Come and join us at the Wallenberg Center for Molecular Medicine- tenure track positions in broad areas of 1)basic research and 2)advanced therapy in regenerative medicine.
🚨Deadline Feb 10th. DM me if you have any questions
lu.varbi.com/en/what:job/...
lu.varbi.com/en/what:job/...

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Swaminathan Lab @swaminathanlab.bsky.social · Jan 29

Amazing and beautiful work as usual from @alushinlab.bsky.social

The Rockefeller University @rockefeller.edu · Jan 21

Scientists in the @alushinlab.bsky.social have figured out how cells build a structure that lets them migrate. Unpacking these “finger-like” protein bundles that protrude from cells may lead to novel treatments for metastasis. #RockefellerScience
bit.ly/3PKErmA

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Swaminathan Lab @swaminathanlab.bsky.social · Jan 22

This work has led us now into a whole range of new projects and collaborations that we are very excited about. This project was a collaboration with the groups of Adam Simonsen at SDU, Cathy Merry and Amanda Wright at Nottingham and Pontus Nordenfelt

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Swaminathan Lab @swaminathanlab.bsky.social · Jan 22

This work was inspired and stands on the shoulder of amazing work from several labs that have been developing alginate based hydrogel system and/or have been working on ECM stiffness-mechanotransduction pathways in epithelial structures for decades

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Swaminathan Lab @swaminathanlab.bsky.social · Jan 22

Mechanistically, using antibodies, inhibitors etc, Kabilan found that this process of in-situ stiffening induced ECM remodelling and invasion of normal mammary acini was driven by beta1 integrin-FAK-Piezo1 pathway with Piezo1 specifically being downstream of integrin activation and signalling.

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Swaminathan Lab @swaminathanlab.bsky.social · Jan 22

Kabilan then followed the process of in-situ stiffening induced changes in acini morphology and ECM properties over time and found interesting and "dynamic" changes in relative ECM enrichment which coincided with different stages of growth and the onset of invasion

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Swaminathan Lab @swaminathanlab.bsky.social · Jan 22

Interestingly, he found several differences in basement membrane and ECM(Fibronectin) enrichment and organisation between acini embedded in in-situ stiffened gels compared to acini formed from single MCF10A cells embedded in stiff gels from Day 1 (see below)

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Swaminathan Lab @swaminathanlab.bsky.social · Jan 22

Here Kabilan first embedded single MCF10A cells in a soft interpenetrating network hydrogel system and allowed it to form a normal mammary acini with its own native ECM environment. He then in-situ stiffened these gels thus mimicking tumour growth and invasion on normal 3D structures-

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Swaminathan Lab @swaminathanlab.bsky.social · Jan 22

I am very excited to (delayed) share our preprint which has been led by Kabilan Sakthivel on mechanisms by which ECM stiffening of normal 3D tissues in their native environment drives invasive phenotypes
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

β1 Integrin–FAK–Piezo1 signalling axis drives in-situ stiffening mediated ECM remodelling and invasion of 3D breast epithelium

Stiffening of tissue is a hallmark of cancer progression, driving invasive phenotypes through complex interactions between cells and their extracellular matrix (ECM). However, the mechanisms linking m...

www.biorxiv.org

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Reposted by Swaminathan Lab

Megan Chastney @mchastney.bsky.social · Jan 20

For early career researchers interested in the Fibronectin, Integrins and Related Molecules GRS/GRC this May, don’t forget to sign up! The deadline for submitting an abstract to be considered for an oral presentation for the GRS is less than a week away! Register here: www.grc.org/fibronectin-...

2025 Fibronectin, Integrins and Related Molecules (GRS) Seminar GRC

The 2025 Gordon Research Seminar on Fibronectin, Integrins and Related Molecules (GRS) will be held in Lucca (Barga), Lucca Italy. Apply today to reserve your spot.

www.grc.org

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Reposted by Swaminathan Lab

Johanna Englund @johannaienglund.bsky.social · Jan 20

Are you working on #ECM or mechanobiology in the mammary gland or in breast cancer? Together with Jason Northey we are guest editing a collection on the topic for the Journal of Mammary gland biology and Neoplasia. Submission of articles is now open! link.springer.com/collections/...

Mammary tumor tissue stained with collagen (green) and nuclei (red)

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