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Book Chapter - Mechanobiology of bone: From cell to organ

I am very pleased to post that the book containing a chapter authoured by myself and others has been released. This book entitled "Cell Mechanochemistry. Biological Systems and Factors Inducing Mechanical Stress, Such as Light, Pressure and Gravity " focuses on different aspects of cell mechanochemistry, mechanosensing and mechanotransduction.

Mechanobiology of bone: From cell to organ

Aviral Vatsa1, Theo H. Smit2 and Jenneke Klein-Nulend1

1Department of Oral Cell Biology, ACTA-University of Amsterdam and VU University Amsterdam Research Institute MOVE, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2Department of Physics and Medical Technology, VU-University Medical Center, Vrije Universiteit, Research Institute MOVE, Amsterdam The Netherlands

Abstract. Bone is a dynamic tissue that adapts its mass and architecture in accordance with the external mechanical loads, which it experiences during daily life. Bones maintain a balance of toughness and light weight by a process of repeated turnover, wherein old and/or damaged bone is resorbed from the areas which are mechanically ‘unloaded’ and/or damaged, and deposited in the areas that experience increased mechanical loading. This precise phenomenon is achieved by the concerted activity of osteocytes, osteoblasts, and osteoclasts. Osteocytes sense the mechanical loads and transduce the mechanical signals into bio-molecules, which then orchestrate the activity of bone forming osteoblasts and/or bone resorbing osteoclasts. Recent years have seen a surge in the scientific efforts to better understand this intricate phenomenon of bone remodeling, both at the tissue level and at a single cell level. These new discoveries unravel the complexities involved in maintenance of bone physiology and hence pave a path in devising new therapeutic targets for bone repair and regeneration. In this chapter, we highlight the latest developments in bone remodeling and reflect on their connection with the historic perspective of bone adaptation to external mechanical loading.

Book Chapter - Cover

Cell Mechanochemistry. Biological Systems and Factors Inducing Mechanical Stress, Such as Light, Pressure and Gravity

EDITORS
Monica Monici
Jack J.W.A. van Loon

ISBN: 978-81-7895-458-5

TRANSWORLD RESEARCH NETWORK

For orders and details:
E-mails: ggcom@vsnl.com & admin@rsflash.com

Copies can be bought just by sending an e-mail to ggcom@vsnl.com or
admin@rsflash.com

Web: www.ressign.com, www.trnres.com, www.signpostebooks.com
www.ressign.com, www.trnres.com, www.signpostebooks.com

Book Chapter -Contents

Contents
1. Mechanomics and physicomics in gravity related research
Jack J.W.A. van Loon
2. Mechanical properties of living cells: On mechanosensing and microgravity
Rommel G. Bacabac, Daisuke Mizuno, Gijsje H. Koenderink
3. Chemistry and topographic domains: Micropatterned surfaces. Production, phisico-chemical and biological characterization
Stefania Lamponi, Clara Di Canio and Rolando Barbucci
4. Cell mechanotransduction: Cytoskeleton and related signalling pathways  
Millie Hughes-Fulford and Johannes Boonstra
5. Sensing of gravity by plant cells and its effects on plant growth and development  
Francisco Javier Medina
6. Effect of gravitational stress on major cell functions: Growth, differentiation, apoptosis, adhesion/migration
Johann Bauer and Daniela G. Grimm
7. Mechanobiology of bone: From cell to organ
Aviral Vatsa, Theo H. Smit and Jenneke Klein-Nulend
8. Effect of loading and unloading on skeletal muscle
Bert Blaauw, Carlo Reggiani and Stefano Schiaffino
9. The effect of microgravity on human T lymphocytes
Augusto Cogoli and Marianne Cogoli-Greuter
10. Cellular effects of alterations of gravity on mammal vestibular endorgans
Christian Chabbert
11. Gravity-induced stress in plant cells: A genomic approach
Rüdiger Hampp, Maren Babbick and Zarko Barjaktarovic
12. Genetic signatures in adaptation to loading/unloading conditions
Nicola Marziliano and Raul Herranz
13. High pressure in biology
Guy Hervé
14. Direct and indirect photomechanical effects in cells and tissues Perspectives of application in biotechnology and medicine
Francesca Rossi, Roberto Pini and Monica Monici

Book chapter

Preface
Living cells are extremely complex and plastic systems and unravelling of the many processes and mechanisms at the basis of this biological machinery is one of the major challenges of scientific research.

Cell sensitivity to mechanical, gravitational, geometrical stimuli is an exciting and relatively new area of research that should provide important clues concerning cell physiology. Recent findings show that cell function and adaptation occurs with changes of the physical micro-environment and suggest that mechanical and electrical signals but also the more common biochemical environment are somehow interpreted by the cells along common pathways.

This book, far from giving an exhaustive state of the art in such a wide research field, collects fourteen chapters concerning different aspects of cell mechanochemistry, mechanosensing and mechanotransduction. These chapters have been written by outstanding scientists with various backgrounds, but with a common quality: all of them have been spending many years, in some cases great part of their life, in studying how biological systems respond to and interact with a variety of mechanical stresses.

The aim of this book is to elucidate some of these processes, increasing the interest on this exciting field of research and to suggest new clues and stimulate further ideas to understand mechanisms important for cell functions.

The editors sincerely thank the authors for their excellent work, which may be an enjoyable and stimulating reading for both experts and beginners in this research area

Monica Monici
Jack J.W.A. van Loon

Thesis available online

Author: Aviral Vatsa
Finally the thesis is available online..click here. It is available via the university library website, hence all the chapters are not available individually. The thesis is under the file name Thesis Vatsa.pdf Whole of thesis? my god! ...don't worry a shortened version in the form of an abstract (in english and Dutch) is also available here... so you see no escape route ;). Good luck

Mechanosensing and Chemical Signaling in Single Osteocytes

Cover of my thesis book. If you find the topics (see papers below) interesting and wish to have a copy of the thesis, which has additional chapters than the papers, do not hesitate to contact me via the 'comments' section of this post. Currently the online version of the book is not available, but it will be accessible soon.

Contents

General Abstract		09
Chapter 1	General Introduction	15
Chapter 2	The role of osteocytes in bone mechanotransduction J Klein-Nulend, A Vatsa, RG Bacabac, SD Tan, TH Smit	23
Chapter 3	Bioimaging of intracellular NO production in single bone cells after mechanical stimulation A Vatsa, D Mizuno, TH Smit, CF Schmidt, FC MacKintosh, J Klein-Nulend	45
Chapter 4	Quantification of instantaneous nitric oxide response of bone cells to mechanical and chemical stimuli D Mizuno, A Vatsa, RG Bacabac, J Klein-Nulend, TH Smit, FC MacKintosh, CF Schmidt	63
Chapter 5	Extracellular NO signaling from a mechanically stimulated osteocyte A Vatsa, TH Smit, J Klein-Nulend	85
Chapter 6	Osteocyte morphology in fibula and calvaria – is there a role for mechanosensing? A Vatsa, RG Breuls, CM Semeins, PL Salmon, TH Smit, J Klein-Nulend	103
Chapter 7	Paxilin localisation in mechanosensing osteocytes in fibula and calvaria – is it determined by the direction of mechanical loading? A Vatsa, CM Semeins, TH Smit, J Klein-Nulend	121
Chapter 8	General Discussion	135
Algemene samenvatting		147
Acknowledgments		153
Curriculum vitae		157
Publications		159

Made it..cover of journal Bone!!

I am thrilled to share that one of the images of my article has been selected for the cover of the journal Bone. This issue (Bone 43:3 sept 2008) has my article 'Osteocyte morphology in fibula and calvaria — Is there a role for mechanosensing?'
The image is a 3-D reconstruction of the osteocytes (bone cells) in the fibula bone. These reconstructions were made by using nanoCT scanning and a couple of other software. (for more details click here)

Papers

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1. The role of osteocytes in bone mechanotransduction Klein-Nulend J, Vatsa A, Bacabac RG, Tan SD, Smit TH
Current Opinion in Orthopedics. 16(5):316-324, October 2005

2. Bio-imaging of intracellular nitric oxide production in single bone cells after mechanical stimulation

Vatsa A, Mizuno D, Smit TH, Schmidt CF, MacKintosh FC, Klein-Nulend J
Journal of Bone and Mineral Research 21:1722-1728, 2006

3. Extracellular NO signalling from a mechanically stimulated osteocyte
Vatsa A, Smit, TH, Klein-Nulend J
Journal of Biomechanics 40:S89-S95, 2007

4. Osteocyte morphology in fibula and calvaria – is there a role for mechanosensing? Vatsa A, Breuls RG, Semeins CM, Salmon PL, Smit, TH, Klein-Nulend J
Bone 43:3 452-458

5. Paxillin localisation in osteocytes – is it determined by the direction of mechanical loading?

Vatsa A, Semeins CM, Smit, TH, Klein-Nulend J
Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications doi:10.1016/j.bbrc.2007.12.174

6. Modulation of gene expression in bone cells during strain-adapted bone remodelling.
Klein-Nulend J, Bacabac RG, Vatsa A, Tan SD, Smit TH, Van Loon JJWA
J Gravitational Physiology 12:225-228 2005
7. Quantification of the instantaneous nitric oxide response of bone cells to mechanical and chemical stimuli

Mizuno D, Vatsa A, Bacabac RG, Klein-Nulend J, Smit TH, MacKintosh FC, Schmidt CF
(submitted)

The Audio (public defense..in English)

In The Netherlands, the PhD defense is conducted in public. It lasts for an hour and starts with the opening by the Rector Magnificus. I had a 10 minute presentation aimed at apprising the audience of my phd work. This presentation is followed by questioning round of nearly 45 minutes. The candidate is questioned by around 10 experts of different fields (related to PhD work)who have been provided with the thesis work well in advance. The candidate has to survive this onslaught before he is saved by the bang of the beadle. After the questioning session the jury is adjourned to come back and announce the decision of the jury. After the decision the degree is handed over to the candidate and the next important step is ...party (see photos too below)

The Photos

Slide Show

PhD Defense