@article {158956, title = {Caenorhabditis elegans germline flux pulls its stem-cell niche cells into shape.}, journal = {J Biosci}, volume = {50}, year = {2025}, month = {2025}, abstract = {

Morphogenesis is the process by which tissues and organs acquire their unique shapes and functions. Several cellular events, including cell shape changes, cell movement, cell proliferation, apoptosis, and others, act in concert to sculpt an organ. While these cellular behaviors are well-recognized to be essential for morphogenesis, whether organ-scale dynamics influence these cellular processes has remained unresolved. In a recent study published in , Tolkin (2024) investigated the mechanisms underlying the dramatic morphogenesis of the distal tip cell (DTC), a leader cell and germline stem-cell niche in the gonad (Byrd 2014; Lee 2016). They uncovered a novel {\textquoteright}hitch-and-tow{\textquoteright} mechanism whereby germline flux drives a complex change in DTC shape. This work sheds light on how mechanical forces at the organ level influence cellular morphogenesis.

}, keywords = {Animals, Caenorhabditis elegans, Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins, Cell Movement, Cell Proliferation, Cell Shape, Germ Cells, Gonads, Morphogenesis, Stem Cell Niche, Stem Cells}, issn = {0973-7138}, author = {Agarwal, Priti} } @article {161134, title = {The patterning and proliferation roles of Shh are partitioned on distinct exosomes.}, journal = {Dev Biol}, volume = {528}, year = {2025}, month = {2025 Dec}, pages = {239-254}, abstract = {

Sonic hedgehog (Shh) is a pivotal morphogen in spinal cord development, orchestrating both ventral neural patterning and progenitor proliferation. How these distinct outcomes are specified has remained elusive. Here, we uncover that Shh is secreted via two biochemically and functionally distinct exosomal pools. A dense vesicle fraction, Shh-P150, drives Smoothened-Gli1 signalling to establish ventral progenitor identities, while a lighter pool, Shh-P450, activates a Smoothened-Gαi-dependent pathway that enhances progenitor proliferation without inducing ventral fate. We identify Rab7, a late endosomal regulator, as essential for Shh-P150 biogenesis and for notochord-mediated ventral neural patterning. Loss of Rab7 biases secretion toward the proliferative Shh-P450 pool and disrupts morphogenetic signalling. These findings establish exosomal packaging as a molecular switch that toggles Shh between its mitogenic and morphogenetic roles. By linking exosome biogenesis to developmental outcomes, our work reveals a novel mechanism that safeguards the balance between pattern formation and progenitor expansion during neural tube development, with implications for both developmental disorders and disease contexts where Shh signalling is misregulated.

}, keywords = {Animals, Body Patterning, Cell Proliferation, Exosomes, Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental, Hedgehog Proteins, Mice, Neural Tube, Notochord, rab GTP-Binding Proteins, rab7 GTP-Binding Proteins, Signal Transduction, Smoothened Receptor, Spinal Cord, Zinc Finger Protein GLI1}, issn = {1095-564X}, doi = {10.1016/j.ydbio.2025.09.017}, author = {Walvekar, Ankita and Pandey, Shivangi and Kamat, Siddhesh S and Ladher, Raj K and Vyas, Neha} } @article {144782, title = {Phytosynthesis of silver nanoparticles using aqueous sandalwood (Santalum album L.) leaf extract: Divergent effects of SW-AgNPs on proliferating plant and cancer cells.}, journal = {PLoS One}, volume = {19}, year = {2024}, month = {2024}, pages = {e0300115}, abstract = {

The biogenic approach for the synthesis of metal nanoparticles provides an efficient eco-friendly alternative to chemical synthesis. This study presents a novel route for the biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles using aqueous sandalwood (SW) leaf extract as a source of reducing and capping agents under mild, room temperature synthesis conditions. The bioreduction of Ag+ to Ago nanoparticles (SW-AgNPs) was accompanied by the appearance of brown color, with surface plasmon resonance peak at 340-360 nm. SEM, TEM and AFM imaging confirm SW-AgNP{\textquoteright}s spherical shape with size range of 10-32 nm. DLS indicates a hydrodynamic size of 49.53 nm with predominant negative Zeta potential, which can contribute to the stability of the nanoparticles. FTIR analysis indicates involvement of sandalwood leaf derived polyphenols, proteins and lipids in the reduction and capping of SW-AgNPs. XRD determines the face-centered-cubic crystalline structure of SW-AgNPs, which is a key factor affecting biological functions of nanoparticles. This study is novel in using cell culture methodologies to evaluate effects of SW-AgNPs on proliferating cells originating from plants and human cancer. Exposure of groundnut calli cells to SW-AgNPs, resulted in enhanced proliferation leading to over 70\% higher calli biomass over control, enhanced defense enzyme activities, and secretion of metabolites implicated in biotic stress resistance (Crotonyl isothiocyanate, Butyrolactone, 2-Hydroxy-gamma-butyrolactone, Maltol) and plant cell proliferation (dl-Threitol). MTT and NRU were performed to determine the cytotoxicity of nanoparticles on human cervical cancer cells. SW-AgNPs specifically inhibited cervical cell lines SiHa (IC50-2.65 ppm) and CaSki (IC50-9.49 ppm), indicating potential use in cancer treatment. The opposing effect of SW-AgNPs on cell proliferation of plant calli (enhanced cell proliferation) and human cancer cell lines (inhibition) are both beneficial and point to potential safe application of SW-AgNPs in plant cell culture, agriculture and in cancer treatment.

}, keywords = {Cell Line, Tumor, Cell Proliferation, Humans, Metal Nanoparticles, Plant Extracts, Plant Leaves, Santalum, Silver}, issn = {1932-6203}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0300115}, author = {Gowda, Archana and T C, Suman and Anil, Veena S and Raghavan, Swetha} }