PLEASE NOTE:
Dr. Barker will be presenting virtually; however,
students enrolled in BME 690 are still expected to be in the classroom.
Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering
Wednesday, February 23, 2022
9:30-10:20am
MJIS 1001 or Via Zoom:
https://purdue-edu.zoom.us/j/95150439811?pwd=a3hOK0o0bmpkS3poTVBCbVhDNU9FZz09
Fibronectin, an endogenous ECM mechanosensor, is a major orchestrator of stromal cell behaviors in tissue repair, fibrosis
and regeneration
Thomas H. Barker, Ph.D.
Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Cell Biology
Director, UVA Fibrosis Initiative
Schools of Engineering and Medicine
University of Virginia
Abstract:
The Extracellular Matrix (ECM) is not only a physical scaffold that supports multi-cellular organization and tissue function but it is also a potent cellular signaling framework. ECM proteins
directly interact with cellular receptors including integrins and syndecans to drive classical biochemical signaling. They also bind and present growth factors to cells for canonical receptor tyrosine kinase signaling; regulating their availability, presentation
and signaling persistence. Because of its structural/physical nature, the ECM also presents biophysical signatures that can be interpreted by cellular receptors and converted into intracellular signals, so-called mechanotransduction. The diversity of the
ECM enables this structure to both take on a wide diversity of forms and to drive a wide diversity of cellular programs from tissue homeostasis and “quiescence” to tissue development and remodeling. In this seminar, I will highlight the ECM protein fibronectin.
This provisional ECM protein emerges early in development and tissue repair programs and acts as a complex orchestrator of diverse signals and diverse cell populations with a key function being the formation of tissue. Fibronectin serves as a template for
mature collagen deposition and thus play a pivotal role in tissue repair and remodeling. These functions also highly implicate fibronectin in the initiation and progression many diseases from rheumatoid arthritis to cancer and fibrosis. Fibronectin is itself
a mechanotransductory molecule and, without external aid, can directly translate biophysical forces into unique biochemical signatures that significantly impact cell behaviors and gene expression programs. I will highlight three new insights into this complex
molecule and its ability to direct tissue fate: 1) fibronectin’s “integrin switch”, 2) posttranslational modifications that add an additional layer of information, and 3) fibronectin’s unique means of mechanical memory.
Bio:
Dr. Barker is a Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Cell Biology at the University of Virginia and the Director of the UVA Fibrosis Initiative. Dr. Barker received his Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and Physics
in 1995 and his PhD in Biomedical Engineering in 2003. Dr. Barker’s research activities center cell-extracellular matrix biology, mechanobiology, and biotechnology focused primarily on fibroblast-ECM interactions that drive tissue repair, regeneration, and
fibrosis. His research integrates engineering applications and basic cell and molecular biology approaches to understand and control cell phenotype through cell engineering/synthetic biology and ECM engineering.
~BME Faculty Host: Dr. Luis Solorio
~