Kristian Franze
University of Cambridge
Network
Latest external collaboration on country level. Dive into details by clicking on the dots.
Publication
Featured researches published by Kristian Franze.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America | 2006
Yun-Bi Lu; Kristian Franze; Gerald Seifert; Christian Steinhäuser; Frank Kirchhoff; Hartwig Wolburg; Jochen Guck; Paul A. Janmey; Er-Qing Wei; Josef A. Käs; Andreas Reichenbach
One hundred fifty years ago glial cells were discovered as a second, non-neuronal, cell type in the central nervous system. To ascribe a function to these new, enigmatic cells, it was suggested that they either glue the neurons together (the Greek word “γλια” means “glue”) or provide a robust scaffold for them (“support cells”). Although both speculations are still widely accepted, they would actually require quite different mechanical cell properties, and neither one has ever been confirmed experimentally. We investigated the biomechanics of CNS tissue and acutely isolated individual neurons and glial cells from mammalian brain (hippocampus) and retina. Scanning force microscopy, bulk rheology, and optically induced deformation were used to determine their viscoelastic characteristics. We found that (i) in all CNS cells the elastic behavior dominates over the viscous behavior, (ii) in distinct cell compartments, such as soma and cell processes, the mechanical properties differ, most likely because of the unequal local distribution of cell organelles, (iii) in comparison to most other eukaryotic cells, both neurons and glial cells are very soft (“rubber elastic”), and (iv) intriguingly, glial cells are even softer than their neighboring neurons. Our results indicate that glial cells can neither serve as structural support cells (as they are too soft) nor as glue (because restoring forces are dominant) for neurons. Nevertheless, from a structural perspective they might act as soft, compliant embedding for neurons, protecting them in case of mechanical trauma, and also as a soft substrate required for neurite growth and facilitating neuronal plasticity.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America | 2007
Kristian Franze; Jens Grosche; Serguei N. Skatchkov; Stefan Schinkinger; Christian Foja; Detlev Schild; Ortrud Uckermann; Kort Travis; Andreas Reichenbach; Jochen Guck
Although biological cells are mostly transparent, they are phase objects that differ in shape and refractive index. Any image that is projected through layers of randomly oriented cells will normally be distorted by refraction, reflection, and scattering. Counterintuitively, the retina of the vertebrate eye is inverted with respect to its optical function and light must pass through several tissue layers before reaching the light-detecting photoreceptor cells. Here we report on the specific optical properties of glial cells present in the retina, which might contribute to optimize this apparently unfavorable situation. We investigated intact retinal tissue and individual Müller cells, which are radial glial cells spanning the entire retinal thickness. Müller cells have an extended funnel shape, a higher refractive index than their surrounding tissue, and are oriented along the direction of light propagation. Transmission and reflection confocal microscopy of retinal tissue in vitro and in vivo showed that these cells provide a low-scattering passage for light from the retinal surface to the photoreceptor cells. Using a modified dual-beam laser trap we could also demonstrate that individual Müller cells act as optical fibers. Furthermore, their parallel array in the retina is reminiscent of fiberoptic plates used for low-distortion image transfer. Thus, Müller cells seem to mediate the image transfer through the vertebrate retina with minimal distortion and low loss. This finding elucidates a fundamental feature of the inverted retina as an optical system and ascribes a new function to glial cells.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America | 2012
Tuukka Verho; Juuso T. Korhonen; Lauri Sainiemi; Ville Jokinen; Chris Bower; Kristian Franze; Sami Franssila; Pierce Andrew; Olli Ikkala; Robin H. A. Ras
Nature offers exciting examples for functional wetting properties based on superhydrophobicity, such as the self-cleaning surfaces on plant leaves and trapped air on immersed insect surfaces allowing underwater breathing. They inspire biomimetic approaches in science and technology. Superhydrophobicity relies on the Cassie wetting state where air is trapped within the surface topography. Pressure can trigger an irreversible transition from the Cassie state to the Wenzel state with no trapped air—this transition is usually detrimental for nonwetting functionality and is to be avoided. Here we present a new type of reversible, localized and instantaneous transition between two Cassie wetting states, enabled by two-level (dual-scale) topography of a superhydrophobic surface, that allows writing, erasing, rewriting and storing of optically displayed information in plastrons related to different length scales.
Journal of Biomechanics | 2010
Andreas F. Christ; Kristian Franze; Helene Odile Gautier; Pouria Moshayedi; James W. Fawcett; Robin J.M. Franklin; Ragnhildur Káradóttir; Jochen Guck
The mechanical properties of tissues are increasingly recognized as important cues for cell physiology and pathology. Nevertheless, there is a sparsity of quantitative, high-resolution data on mechanical properties of specific tissues. This is especially true for the central nervous system (CNS), which poses particular difficulties in terms of preparation and measurement. We have prepared thin slices of brain tissue suited for indentation measurements on the micrometer scale in a near-native state. Using a scanning force microscope with a spherical indenter of radius ∼20μm we have mapped the effective elastic modulus of rat cerebellum with a spatial resolution of 100μm. We found significant differences between white and gray matter, having effective elastic moduli of K=294±74 and 454±53Pa, respectively, at 3μm indentation depth (n(g)=245, n(w)=150 in four animals, p<0.05; errors are SD). In contrast to many other measurements on larger length scales, our results were constant for indentation depths of 2-4μm indicating a regime of linear effective elastic modulus. These data, assessed with a direct mechanical measurement, provide reliable high-resolution information and serve as a quantitative basis for further neuromechanical investigations on the mechanical properties of developing, adult and damaged CNS tissue.
Science | 2012
Roger C. Hardie; Kristian Franze
Feeling the Light There has been a link missing in our understanding of the biochemical signaling mechanism initiated when photons are absorbed by rhodopsin in the photoreceptor cells of Drosophila eyes. Photoisomerization of rhodopsin activates a heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide—binding protein which leads to activation of phospholipase C. But how phospholipase C activates the transient receptor potential (TRP) or the transient receptor potential–like (TRPL) ion channels that produce the rest of the cellular response has been unclear. Hardie and Franze (p. 260; see the Perspective by Liman) propose that there is a physical mechanism at work. Atomic force microscopy revealed light-induced contractions of photoreceptor cells. Consistent with a physical coupling mechanism, manipulations of the membrane altered responses of the photoreceptor cells to light. Thus, physical changes in the membrane appear to couple phospholipase C activity to the opening of mechanosensitive TRP and TRPL channels. Light sensing involves contraction of the photoreceptor cell membrane physically gating the light-sensitive channels. Phototransduction in Drosophila microvillar photoreceptor cells is mediated by a G protein–activated phospholipase C (PLC). PLC hydrolyzes the minor membrane lipid phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2), leading by an unknown mechanism to activation of the prototypical transient receptor potential (TRP) and TRP-like (TRPL) channels. We found that light exposure evoked rapid PLC-mediated contractions of the photoreceptor cells and modulated the activity of mechanosensitive channels introduced into photoreceptor cells. Furthermore, photoreceptor light responses were facilitated by membrane stretch and were inhibited by amphipaths, which alter lipid bilayer properties. These results indicate that, by cleaving PIP2, PLC generates rapid physical changes in the lipid bilayer that lead to contractions of the microvilli, and suggest that the resultant mechanical forces contribute to gating the light-sensitive channels.
Nature | 2016
Marco Sciacovelli; Emanuel Gonçalves; Tim Johnson; Vincent Zecchini; Ana Sofia Henriques da Costa; Edoardo Gaude; Alizée Vercauteren Drubbel; Sebastian Julian Theobald; Sandra Riekje Abbo; Maxine Gia Binh Mg Tran; Vinothini Rajeeve; Simone Cardaci; Sarah K Foster; Haiyang Yun; Pedro R. Cutillas; Anne Warren; Vincent Jeyaseelan Gnanapragasam; Eyal Gottlieb; Kristian Franze; Brian J. P. Huntly; Eamonn R. Maher; Patrick H. Maxwell; Julio Saez-Rodriguez; Christian Frezza
Mutations of the tricarboxylic acid cycle enzyme fumarate hydratase cause hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell cancer. Fumarate hydratase-deficient renal cancers are highly aggressive and metastasize even when small, leading to a very poor clinical outcome. Fumarate, a small molecule metabolite that accumulates in fumarate hydratase-deficient cells, plays a key role in cell transformation, making it a bona fide oncometabolite. Fumarate has been shown to inhibit α-ketoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases that are involved in DNA and histone demethylation. However, the link between fumarate accumulation, epigenetic changes, and tumorigenesis is unclear. Here we show that loss of fumarate hydratase and the subsequent accumulation of fumarate in mouse and human cells elicits an epithelial-to-mesenchymal-transition (EMT), a phenotypic switch associated with cancer initiation, invasion, and metastasis. We demonstrate that fumarate inhibits Tet-mediated demethylation of a regulatory region of the antimetastatic miRNA cluster mir-200ba429, leading to the expression of EMT-related transcription factors and enhanced migratory properties. These epigenetic and phenotypic changes are recapitulated by the incubation of fumarate hydratase-proficient cells with cell-permeable fumarate. Loss of fumarate hydratase is associated with suppression of miR-200 and the EMT signature in renal cancer and is associated with poor clinical outcome. These results imply that loss of fumarate hydratase and fumarate accumulation contribute to the aggressive features of fumarate hydratase-deficient tumours.
Annual Review of Biomedical Engineering | 2013
Kristian Franze; Paul A. Janmey; Jochen Guck
Biological cells are well known to respond to a multitude of chemical signals. In the nervous system, chemical signaling has been shown to be crucially involved in development, normal functioning, and disorders of neurons and glial cells. However, there are an increasing number of studies showing that these cells also respond to mechanical cues. Here, we summarize current knowledge about the mechanical properties of nervous tissue and its building blocks, review recent progress in methodology and understanding of cellular mechanosensitivity in the nervous system, and provide an outlook on the implications of neuromechanics for future developments in biomedical engineering to aid overcoming some of the most devastating and currently incurable CNS pathologies such as spinal cord injuries and multiple sclerosis.
Reports on Progress in Physics | 2010
Kristian Franze; Jochen Guck
For a long time, neuroscience has focused on biochemical, molecular biological and electrophysiological aspects of neuronal physiology and pathology. However, there is a growing body of evidence indicating the importance of physical stimuli for neuronal growth and development. In this review we briefly summarize the historical background of neurobiophysics and give an overview over the current understanding of neuronal growth from a physics perspective. We show how biophysics has so far contributed to a better understanding of neuronal growth and discuss current inconsistencies. Finally, we speculate how biophysics may contribute to the successful treatment of lesions to the central nervous system, which have been considered incurable until very recently.
Development | 2013
Kristian Franze
The development of the nervous system has so far, to a large extent, been considered in the context of biochemistry, molecular biology and genetics. However, there is growing evidence that many biological systems also integrate mechanical information when making decisions during differentiation, growth, proliferation, migration and general function. Based on recent findings, I hypothesize that several steps during nervous system development, including neural progenitor cell differentiation, neuronal migration, axon extension and the folding of the brain, rely on or are even driven by mechanical cues and forces.
Nature Neuroscience | 2016
David E Koser; Amelia J Thompson; Sarah K Foster; Asha Dwivedy; Eva K Pillai; Graham K. Sheridan; Hanno Svoboda; Matheus Palhares Viana; Luciano da Fontoura Costa; Jochen Guck; Christine E. Holt; Kristian Franze
During nervous system development, neurons extend axons along well-defined pathways. The current understanding of axon pathfinding is based mainly on chemical signaling. However, growing neurons interact not only chemically but also mechanically with their environment. Here we identify mechanical signals as important regulators of axon pathfinding. In vitro, substrate stiffness determined growth patterns of Xenopus retinal ganglion cell axons. In vivo atomic force microscopy revealed a noticeable pattern of stiffness gradients in the embryonic brain. Retinal ganglion cell axons grew toward softer tissue, which was reproduced in vitro in the absence of chemical gradients. To test the importance of mechanical signals for axon growth in vivo, we altered brain stiffness, blocked mechanotransduction pharmacologically and knocked down the mechanosensitive ion channel piezo1. All treatments resulted in aberrant axonal growth and pathfinding errors, suggesting that local tissue stiffness, read out by mechanosensitive ion channels, is critically involved in instructing neuronal growth in vivo.