J. A. Theriot

Topographical analysis of immune cell interactions reveals a biomechanical signature for immune cytolysis

The paper analyzes immune cell interactions using traction force microscopy to identify biomechanical features associated with cytotoxic T cell activity.

Confined keratocytes mimic in vivo migration and reveal volume-speed relationship

This study shows that 2D confinement alters keratocyte shape and reduces both cell speed and volume by 20%, suggesting a link between cell volume and migration speed.

Mapping variation in the morphological landscape of human cells with optical pooled CRISPRi screening

This study uses CRISPRi screening and deep learning to identify genes affecting cell morphology and construct a quantitative morphological variation space in human cells.

Cell migration CRISPRi screens in human neutrophils reveal regulators of context-dependent migration and differentiation state

The paper uses CRISPRi screens in human neutrophils to identify genes regulating context-dependent migration and differentiation.

Cell surface receptors TREM2, CD14 and integrin αMβ2 drive sinking engulfment in phosphatidylserine-mediated phagocytosis

This study identifies TREM2, CD14, and integrin αMβ2 as essential cell surface receptors for PS-mediated phagocytosis, revealing distinct mechanisms for PS and antibody-coated target uptake.

Post-injury hydraulic fracturing drives fissure formation in the zebrafish basal epidermal cell layer

This study shows that zebrafish epidermis forms fissures post-injury due to hydraulic fracturing driven by osmotic pressure, with myosin II involvement and fluid clearance via macropinocytosis.

Vast heterogeneity in cytoplasmic diffusion rates revealed by nanorheology and Doppelgänger simulations

The paper measures cytoplasmic diffusion heterogeneity in fission yeast using nanorheology and simulations, finding large variations in viscosity that are not explained by experimental variability.

Listeria monocytogenes Co-opts Caveolin-Mediated E-cadherin Trafficking and Macropinocytosis for Epithelial Cell-to-Cell Spread

This study identifies E-cadherin ubiquitination and caveolin-mediated trafficking as mechanisms enabling Listeria monocytogenes to spread between epithelial cells.

Mechanical competition promotes selective listening to receptor inputs to resolve directional dilemmas in neutrophil migration

This study shows neutrophils resolve directional dilemmas by committing to one leading edge late in the decision process, influenced by mechanical stretching and receptor inputs.

A comprehensive analysis of gene expression changes in a high replicate and open-source dataset of differentiating hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes

The paper analyzes gene expression changes in hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes using single-cell RNA-seq, identifying key genes that mark differentiation stages and sources of variation across protocols and cell lines.

Directional reorientation of migrating neutrophils is limited by suppression of receptor input signaling at the cell rear through myosin II activity

Phagocytic 'teeth' and myosin-II 'jaw' power target constriction during phagocytosis

The paper uses microscopy and force measurement techniques to show how localized actin and myosin forces drive target constriction during phagocytosis, revealing a distinct mechanism from 2D cell motility.

Entropy-driven translocation of disordered proteins through the Gram-positive bacterial cell wall

The paper shows that entropy drives disordered proteins through Gram-positive bacterial cell walls, using a physical model and experimental validation.

Leading edge stability in motile cells is an emergent property of branched actin network growth

This study shows lamellipodial stability in migrating cells arises from actin network geometry without additional feedback, explaining the conservation of the Arp2/3 branching angle.

Osmolarity-independent electrical cues guide rapid response to injury in zebrafish epidermis

This study shows zebrafish skin cells detect injury via both osmolarity and electrical cues, with sodium chloride-specific sensing independent of cell swelling.

Quantitative comparison of principal component analysis and unsupervised deep learning using variational autoencoders for shape analysis of motile cells

This paper compares PCA and VAE-GAN for analyzing cell shape in neutrophils, finding that VAE-GAN more efficiently captures shape variation while maintaining interpretability.

Cell states beyond transcriptomics: integrating structural organization and gene expression in hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes

The paper integrates gene expression and sarcomere organization in hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes to predict subcellular states and reveal correlations between transcript abundance and structural patterns.

Mechanical competition triggered by innate immune signaling drives the collective extrusion of bacterially-infected epithelial cells

The paper shows that innate immune signaling triggers mechanical competition, leading to the collective extrusion of infected epithelial cells by uninfected bystanders.

Superresolved microparticle traction force microscopy reveals subcellular force patterns in immune cell-target interactions

This paper develops a superresolution traction force microscopy method to measure subcellular forces in immune cell-target interactions without using embedded tracers.

Cell Mechanics at the Rear Act To Steer the Direction of Cell Migration

The paper investigates how mechanical asymmetries at the rear of fish keratocytes drive cell turning, showing that actin flow and myosin II contractility, rather than leading edge protrusion, are key to steering migration.

Listeria monocytogenes cell-to-cell spread in epithelia is heterogeneous and dominated by rare pioneer bacteria

This study shows that L. monocytogenes spreads heterogeneously in epithelial cells, with rare pioneer bacteria driving infection spread and persistence.

Cell surface vimentin is involved in matrix stiffness-dependent infection of endothelial cells by Listeria monocytogenes

This study shows that ECM stiffness affects Listeria monocytogenes infection of endothelial cells via cell surface vimentin and FAK activity.

Listeria monocytogenes InlP interacts with afadin and facilitates basement membrane crossing

This study identifies InlP as a Listeria monocytogenes protein that binds afadin to facilitate transcytosis across epithelial monolayers during placental infection.