Academic literature on the topic 'Cellular Interactions (incl. Adhesion, Matrix, Cell Wall)'

IntroductionFollowing an inflammatory or infectious stimulus, the body’s defense mechanism initiates recruitment of circulating leukocytes toward the inflammatory stimulus. The emigration of leukocytes into extravascular tissues occurs in a highly coordinated fashion in multiple steps, including rolling and tethering of blood cells along the vascular endothelium and their firm attachment and subsequent transmigration and invasion toward the inflammatory site.1 During these sequential steps, transcellular recognition of different adhesion receptor/counterligand pairs, such as selectins/sialyl LewisX-carbohydrates,2 integrins/ immunoglobulin superfamily cell adhesion molecules (ICAMs),3 or binding to (provisional) extracellular matrix components, such as fibrinogen/fibrin, vitronectin, or fibronectin, control the strength and duration of interactions between leukocytes (neutrophils [polymorphonucleocytes (PMN)], eosinophils, monocytes and macrophages, mast cells, lymphocytes) and the vessel wall.4 The importance of these cellular interactions is evident from patients with the rare congenital disorders of “leukocyte-adhesion-deficiency,” which are either caused by a lack or dysfunction of ß2-integrins (LAD I) or a deficiency in the expression of sialyl-LewisX carbohydrates (LAD II).5 The interdependent adhesion processes are regulated by vascular cell-derived chemokines and chemoattractants that may directly influence the expression profile and activation state of adhesion molecules, such as ß2- and ß1-integrins, the shedding of selectins, and the nonthrombogenic properties of endothelial cells.6 Prior to transmigration, leukocyte adhesion may induce the disruption of vascular endothelial (VE)-cadherin mediated endothelial cell-to-cell junctions7 involving the proteasome machinery.8 The spatio-temporal cellular expression of juxtacrine adhesion and signaling receptors–particularly on PMN, endothelial cells, and platelets–contribute to the coordination of adhesion and inflammatory mechanisms required for vascular homeostasis9 and prothrombotic outcome under imbalanced conditions. Not only do monocytes express tissue factor (a receptor for the protease factor VII/VIIa) on their surface after stimulation with endotoxin or cytokines, but PMN contain cell surface receptors, such as the factor X/Xa-binding ß2-integrin Mac-1 or effector cell protease receptor (EPR)-1, that link cellular activation and inflammation with the induction of the blood clotting cascade and serve as an alternate pathway for thrombin formation.10,11 Moreover, defects in natural anticoagulant mechanisms, such as the thrombomodulin/protein C pathway, are potential risk factors for vascular thrombotic complications, as in myocardial infarction.12 Pathophysiological stimuli, such as dysregulated direct (i.e., adhesive contact) or indirect (i.e., release of soluble factors) activation of leukocytes, serious infectious agonists, or autoantibodies, may result in endothelial cell dysfunction or injury with the amplification of inflammatory and prothrombotic responses. In the following, some of the principal juxtacrine interactions between leukocytes, platelets, and endothelium, together with their direct or indirect influence on hemostasis and consequences for vascular thrombotic disease, will be discussed. Further understanding of the bidirectional cross-talk of adhesion receptors and the contribution of connecting points, such as protease receptors, may lead to promising therapeutic strategies that aim to protect or regain the endothelial defense mechanisms.

Co-localization of blood platelets and granulocytes at sites of hemostasis and inflammation has triggered an intense interest in possible interactions between these cellular processes and induction of vessel wall injury. Leukocyte adhesion to endothelial cells decreases with increasing shear and is dependent on an initial rolling phase mediated by selectins. We hypothesized that flow-dependent platelet adhesion at an injured vessel wall will lead to P-selectin expression by platelets, thus mediating leukocyte co-localization. A perfusion chamber was used in which flowing whole blood induced platelet adhesion to a subendothelial matrix (ECM) of cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). We compared neutrophil (polymorphonuclear leukocyte [PMN]) interactions with HUVEC and their ECM with and without adhered platelets. PMNs adhered predominantly to ECM-adhered platelets and not to endothelial cells. ECM alone did not support PMN adhesion under flow conditions. PMN adhesion to unstimulated HUVEC was only substantial at low shear (up to 200 cells/mm2 at shear stress 80 mPa). In marked contrast, PMN adhesion to ECM-adhered platelets was dramatically increased, and adhesion was demonstrated at much higher shear stress (up to 640 mPa). Studies with specific antibodies showed that the platelet-dependent neutrophil adhesion was selectin-mediated. Inhibition of P-selectin caused a marked inhibition of adhesion at high shear stress, whereas the role of leukocyte L-selectin was less pronounced. beta2-Integrin-blocking antibodies inhibited static neutrophil adhesion. fMLP induced L-selectin shedding from leukocytes, resulting in decreased leukocyte adhesion. In conclusion, platelet- dependent hemostasis at the ECM appears to be a powerful intermediate in neutrophil-vessel wall interactions at shear stresses that normally do not allow neutrophil adhesion to intact endothelium.

Plants are compelled to withstand stresses of all kinds, be it biotic, abiotic or anthropogenic as a consequence of their immobility. The initial infection process involving adhesion/recognition events between plants and fungal pathogens is essential for the establishment of pathogenesis. The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a biologically active part of the cell surface composed of a complex mixture of macromolecules that, in addition to serving a structural function, profoundly affect the cellular physiology of the organism. During the past two decades it has become evident that the cell wall is a dynamic organization that is essential for cell division, enlargement and differentiation as well as responding to biotic and abiotic stress. ECM is also the source of signals for cell recognition within the same or between different organisms. Cell walls are natural composite structures, mostly made up of high molecular weight polysaccharides, proteins and lignins. Lignins are only found in specific cell types. Arabidopsis thaliana cell wall proteins (CWP) that can be involved in modifications of cell wall components, wall structure and signaling as well as interactions with plasma membrane proteins at the cell surface has been reviewed.

Abstract The recruitment of phagocytic leukocytes to sites of injured vessel wall plays an important role in thrombus remodeling during normal vascular repair and in the pathophysiology of thrombosis. Fibrin and fibrinogen, present in the thrombus, are potent adhesive substrates for neutrophils and monocytes. They support cellular attachment by binding cell surface receptors that belong to the β2 subfamily of integrins. Adhesive interactions of neutrophils and monocytes with polymerized fibrin and insoluble fibrinogen matrix in vivo occur in the presence of high concentrations of circulating plasma fibrinogen (~2–4 mg/ml). One important property of fibrinogen that would have a major bearing on leukocyte adhesion is its capacity to form complexes with fibrin. Therefore, by virtue of its binding to the fibrin clot and/or immobilized fibrinogen, soluble plasma fibrinogen can influence leukocyte adhesion to these substrates. In this study, the possibility that soluble fibrinogen could protect fibrin from adhesion of leukocytes was examined. Fibrinogen was an efficient inhibitor of adhesion of U937 monocytoid cells and neutrophils to fibrin gel and immobilized fibrin(ogen). An investigation of the mechanism by which fibrinogen exerts its influence on leukocyte adhesion indicated that it did not block integrins but rather associated non-covalently and weakly with fibrin(ogen) substrates. Consequently, leukocyte integrins that engage fibrinogen molecules loosely bound to the fibrin(ogen) matrix are not able to consolidate their grip on the substrate; subsequently, cells detach. This conclusion is based on the evidence obtained in adhesion studies using various β2-integrin bearing cells and performed under static and flow conditions. Furthermore, surface plasmon resonance studies, undertaken to determine the Kd of fibrinogen-fibrin interactions under flow conditions, indicated that fibrinogen formed complexes with fibrin(ogen) with micromolar affinities. Thus, these findings reveal a new role of fibrinogen in integrin-mediated leukocyte adhesion. They also imply that the anti-adhesive effect of fibrinogen may protect the thrombus from an excessive leukocyte accumulation and premature dissolution at the early stages of wound healing when hemostatic plug integrity is critical for preventing blood loss.

Abstract Biochemical aspects of cellular process are well characterized, but more recently, it has been shown that cells dynamically sense and respond to biophysical cues such as substrate stiffness and geometrical constraints; physical cues even direct cell differentiation and stem cell lineage (Discher et al, Science, 2005). In hematology, we know that platelets are shear activated and attenuate force based on substrate stiffness, and that endothelial cells align with flow and are activated by shear stress. Blood cells pass through, and interact with, biological matrices such as fibrin clots and the vascular wall, but the physical and biochemical aspects of these interactions are indistinguishable from one another in vivo. As such, there is a gap in knowledge as to how blood cells respond to matrices as they transit through them. To decouple the physical and biochemical interactions of blood cells and biological matrices, we sought to recreate the physical geometry of a fibrin network in a controlled, non-biological, in vitro microfluidic system. To this end, we designed a two-part microfluidic device comprised of an array of micron sized pillars (~1 µm diameter, 3 µm height, and 2 µm gap between pillars) overlaid with a microfluidic channel (Fig 1). The dimensions of the pillars are on the order of the diameter of fibrin fibers and the mesh size of a fibrin gel (Okada et al, J. Biol. Chem, 1985), while channels of various dimensions can be bonded over the pillar array to represent various biological scenarios. Standard microfluidic processes cannot produce pillars with the feature sizes reported herein, so electron beam lithography was used to create the mold from which the elastomeric pillars are made. The biophysical interaction of platelets flowing through fibrin mesh (absent biological factors) was recreated by a pillar array oriented perpendicular to the direction of flow in a 6 µm tall channel. When washed platelets are perfused through the system, they adhere to the pillars, aggregate, and form an occlusive mass that extends to the edges of the array (Fig 2A). Platelet adhesion initiates exclusively at the pillars and aggregation propagates to the extents of the channel area perpendicular to flow, resulting in channel occlusion and flow cessation. These findings show that in the absence of platelet agonists and biological ligands, platelets are activated by the shear environment afforded by the presence of fibrin fibers. Thus, in addition to the biochemical players in clot formation, the geometry of the fibrin mesh plays a role in platelet adhesion, and clot propagation. As expected, passive adsorption of fibrinogen and collagen to the pillar surfaces enhances platelet aggregation, as evidenced by a decrease in time to channel occlusion from 10 min to 2 min and 6 min, respectively. With thus we see the synergistic effect of biophysical and biochemical factors in clot propagation. This novel microfluidic system both separates biophysical and biochemical aspects of clot formation and allows researchers to specify the precise location and extent of clot formation in vitro. Platelets are not the only blood cells to interact with and react to physical barriers. Red blood cell (RBC) deformation has been historically studied in single cell assays, SEM studies of fixed clots, and more recently after RBCs have passed through a filtration system comprised of either beads or long slits (Deplaine et al, Blood, 2010); however, real time visualization of RBC deformation in geometries representative of biological matrices has remained elusive. The deformation (and possible fragmentation) that RBCs undergo when passing through the physical challenges of a fibrin matrix or the interendothelial slits of the spleen can be visualized in our system: an array of pillars overlaid by a 3 µm channel. Our findings visually suggest that red blood cells are able to deform through the matrix with little effect on their membranes, and that exposure to high shear gradients alone does not cause cell fragmentation (Figure 2B). The ready deformation and transit of healthy RBCs in our system confirms recent computational studies of RBC filtration by the spleen (Pivkin et al, PNAS, 2016). Further studies will give insight into the deformation and transit of sickled cells and malaria infected RBCs in physical matrices. Overall, our microfluidic studies give novel insight into the biophysical aspect of blood cell interactions with biological matrices. Disclosures Lam: Sanguina, LLC: Equity Ownership.

Abstract High molecular weight kininogen (HK) and its cleaved form (HKa) have been shown to bind to neutrophils. Based on studies using monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), we postulated that CD11b/CD18 (Mac-1) might be the receptor on the neutrophils for binding to HK/HKa. However, the direct interaction of HK/HKa and Mac-1 had not been demonstrated. We therefore transfected HEK 293 cells with human Mac-1. Cell binding assays using fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled HKa showed increased binding to the Mac-1 transfected cells compared with the control transfected cells. The binding was specific because unlabeled HKa, Mac-1–specific antibody, and fibrinogen can inhibit the binding of biotin-HKa to Mac-1 transfected cells. HKa bound to Mac-1 transfected cells (20 000 molecules/cell) with a Kd = 62 nmol/L. To demonstrate directly the formation of a complex between HKa and Mac-1, we examined the interaction of HKa and purified Mac-1 in a cell-free system using an IAsys resonant mirror optical biosensor. The association and dissociation rate constants (kon and koff, respectively) were determined, and they yielded a dissociation constant (Kd) of 3.2×10−9mol/L. The functional significance of direct interaction of HKa to Mac-1 was investigated by examining the effect of HKa on cellular adhesion to fibrinogen and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), molecules abundant in the injured vessel wall. HKa blocked the adhesion of Mac-1 transfected cells to fibrinogen and ICAM-1 in a dose-dependent manner. Thus, HKa may interrupt Mac-1–mediated cell–extracellular matrix and cell–cell adhesive interactions and may therefore influence the recruitment of circulating neutrophils/monocytes to sites of vessel injury.

High molecular weight kininogen (HK) and its cleaved form (HKa) have been shown to bind to neutrophils. Based on studies using monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), we postulated that CD11b/CD18 (Mac-1) might be the receptor on the neutrophils for binding to HK/HKa. However, the direct interaction of HK/HKa and Mac-1 had not been demonstrated. We therefore transfected HEK 293 cells with human Mac-1. Cell binding assays using fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled HKa showed increased binding to the Mac-1 transfected cells compared with the control transfected cells. The binding was specific because unlabeled HKa, Mac-1–specific antibody, and fibrinogen can inhibit the binding of biotin-HKa to Mac-1 transfected cells. HKa bound to Mac-1 transfected cells (20 000 molecules/cell) with a Kd = 62 nmol/L. To demonstrate directly the formation of a complex between HKa and Mac-1, we examined the interaction of HKa and purified Mac-1 in a cell-free system using an IAsys resonant mirror optical biosensor. The association and dissociation rate constants (kon and koff, respectively) were determined, and they yielded a dissociation constant (Kd) of 3.2×10−9mol/L. The functional significance of direct interaction of HKa to Mac-1 was investigated by examining the effect of HKa on cellular adhesion to fibrinogen and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), molecules abundant in the injured vessel wall. HKa blocked the adhesion of Mac-1 transfected cells to fibrinogen and ICAM-1 in a dose-dependent manner. Thus, HKa may interrupt Mac-1–mediated cell–extracellular matrix and cell–cell adhesive interactions and may therefore influence the recruitment of circulating neutrophils/monocytes to sites of vessel injury.

The cushioning function of large arteries encompasses distension during systole and recoil during diastole which transforms pulsatile flow into a steady flow in the microcirculation. Arterial stiffness, the inverse of distensibility, has been implicated in various etiologies of chronic common and monogenic cardiovascular diseases and is a major cause of morbidity and mortality globally. The first components that contribute to arterial stiffening are extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins that support the mechanical load, while the second important components are vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), which not only regulate actomyosin interactions for contraction but mediate also mechanotransduction in cell-ECM homeostasis. Eventually, VSMC plasticity and signaling in both conductance and resistance arteries are highly relevant to the physiology of normal and early vascular aging. This review summarizes current concepts of central pressure and tensile pulsatile circumferential stress as key mechanical determinants of arterial wall remodeling, cell-ECM interactions depending mainly on the architecture of cytoskeletal proteins and focal adhesion, the large/small arteries cross-talk that gives rise to target organ damage, and inflammatory pathways leading to calcification or atherosclerosis. We further speculate on the contribution of cellular stiffness along the arterial tree to vascular wall stiffness. In addition, this review provides the latest advances in the identification of gene variants affecting arterial stiffening. Now that important hemodynamic and molecular mechanisms of arterial stiffness have been elucidated, and the complex interplay between ECM, cells, and sensors identified, further research should study their potential to halt or to reverse the development of arterial stiffness.

Effective propagation of the electrical impulse throughout the myocardium is highly dependent on cell-to-cell and cell-to-extracellular matrix interactions. Increasing evidence indicates that dysregulation of cellular adhesion is a critical determinant in the genesis of arrhythmia. Null mutations in the integrin α7 gene, an essential mediator of cellular adhesion in cardiac and skeletal muscles, have been linked to myopathy in humans, however, the in vivo role of the integrin α7 subunit in the heart is undefined. The mouse model of integrin α7 deletion dies prematurely at one year of age. We therefore analysed the cardiac phenotype in integrin α7 deficient mice (α7 −/− ) to determine whether their premature death was associated with altered cardiac conduction. One year old integrin α7 −/− mice exhibited altered cardiac conduction characterised by spontaneous atrial fibrillation and prolonged QTc duration (α7 −/− : 25.7±0.74ms, α7 +/+ : 19.5±0.61ms; n=6; p<0.001, QTc=QT/(RR/100) 1/2 ). The abnormal cardiac conduction was associated with downregulation of connexin43. However, no significant changes were observed in the expression of ion chanels that have been linked to long QT syndrome or atrial fibrillation (kv1.1, kv1.5, kcne1, kcnq1, erg1, Cav1.2 and Cav1.3). In addition, α7 −/− mice displayed increased susceptibility to drug-induced arrhythmias: treatment with ouabain (2mg/kg BW) in combination with isoprenaline (2.5mg/kg BW) induced atrial fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia and eventually death in 6 month-old integrin α7 −/− mice, but not in α7 +/+ mice. Interestingly, α7 −/− also displayed concentric ventricular hypertrophy with increased septal wall thickness and reduced left ventricular end-diastolic diameter starting from 6 months of age. These structural changes were accompanied by an increase in myocyte size and increased ERK1/2 phosphorylation. In conclusion, deletion of the integrin α7 gene in mice leads to ventricular hypertrophy and to abnormal cardiac conduction. The integrin α7 deficient mice have a marked propensity to lethal arrhythmias through alterations in gap junctions but not ion channels. The integrin α7 knockout model provides new insight into the link between the extracellular matrix and cardiac conduction.

This thesis is concerned with phytoestrogenic isoflavones, which are a group of plant-derived compounds that can be consumed in the diet or as over-the-counter preparations for self-medication, and have been associated with a wide range of health benefits. However, unlike the extract of St John's wort and grapefruit juice, little is known about the potential for phytoestrogenic isoflavones to be involved in pharmacokinetic interactions. This thesis describes a series of experiments that investigate that potential by assessing the effects of the isoflavones on intestinal P-glycoprotein-mediated transport, hepatic metabolism, and hepatic cell membrane transport of conventional drugs.

Retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) serve as a vital connection between the eye and the brain with damage to their axons resulting in loss of vision and/or blindness. Retinal organoids are three-dimensional structures derived from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) which recapitulate the spatial and temporal differentiation of the retina, providing a valuable model of RGC development in vitro. The working hypothesis of these studies is that hPSC-derived RGCs are capable of extensive outgrowth and display target specificity and pathfinding abilities. Initial efforts focused on characterizing RGC differentiation throughout early stages of organoid development, with a clearly defined RGC layer developing in a temporally-appropriate manner expressing a compliment of RGC-associated markers. Beyond studies of RGC development, retinal organoids may also prove useful to investigate and model the extensive axonal outgrowth necessary to reach post-synaptic targets. As such, additional efforts aimed to elucidate factors promoting axonal outgrowth. Results demonstrated significant enhancement of axonal outgrowth through modulation of both substrate composition and growth factor signaling. Furthermore, RGCs possessed guidance receptors that are essential in influencing outgrowth and pathfinding. Subsequently, to determine target specificity, aggregates of hPSC-derived RGCs were co-cultured with explants of mouse lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN), the primary post-synaptic target of RGCs. Axonal outgrowth was enhanced in the presence of LGN, and RGCs displayed recognition of appropriate targets, with the longest neurites projecting towards LGN explants compared to control explants or RGCs grown alone. Generated from the fusion of regionally-patterned organoids, assembloids model projections between distinct regions of the nervous system. Therefore, final efforts of these studies focused upon the generation of retinocortical assembloids in order to model the long-distance outgrowth characteristic of RGCs. RGCs displayed extensive axonal outgrowth into cortical organoids, with the ability to respond to environmental cues. Collectively, these results establish retinal organoids as a valuable tool for studies of RGC development, and demonstrate the utility of organoid-derived RGCs as an effective platform to study factors influencing outgrowth as well as modeling long-distance projections and pathfinding abilities.

Metastasis of primary mammary tumors to vital secondary organs is the primary cause of breast cancer-associated death, with no effective treatment. Metastasis is a highly selective process that requires cancer cells to overcome multiple barriers to escape the primary tumor, survive in circulation, and eventually colonize distant secondary organs. One of the important aspects of metastatic cancers is the ability to undergo epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and the reverse process mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET) process. Constant interconversion of tumor cells between these phenotypes creates epithelial-mesenchymal heterogeneity (EMH) and interaction between these tumor cell types and the stromal cell compartment is clearly important to metastasis. In healthy tissues, stromal cells maintain the composition and structure of the tissue through the production of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins and paracrine signaling with epithelial cells. However, little is known about how EMH promotes changes in the ECM to promote breast cancer progression and metastasis. Cancer cells also secret exosomes, nano-size extracellular vesicles, to establish intercellular communication with distant organs in order to induce metastasis. These exosomes contain a plethora of different proteins including extracellular matrix proteins and matrix crosslinking enzymes. Fibronectin, an important ECM protein, plays an active role in tumor progression and is often crosslinked by tissue transglutaminase 2 (TGM2) to promote fibrosis in cancer. Both FN and TGM2 exist in exosomes and are expressed by heterogenous breast tumors. Although FN and TGM2 have been reported to play essential roles in cancer, their involvement in metastasis remains unclear. This work utilizes a variety of approaches to investigate the role of tumor heterogeneity and ECM proteins in promoting breast cancer metastasis. In this dissertation, we establish that mesenchymal cells expressing intracellular FN are held in a stable non-metastatic mesenchymal phenotype and produce cellular fibrils containing functionalized FN capable of supporting the growth of metastatic competent epithelial cells. We introduce a novel 3D culture system consisting of a tessellated scaffold which is capable of recapitulating cellular and matrix phenotypes in vivo. Further, we also demonstrate breast tumor cells secrete exosomes containing TGM2 crosslinked FN fibrils to promote premetastatic niche formation and induction of metastasis. Using genetic approaches, we establish TGM2 is essential and sufficient to drive metastasis. Finally, we demonstrate pharmacological inhibition of TGM2 offers a potential therapeutic strategy to treat metastatic breast cancer. Altogether, our research provides insights into the mechanism through which TGM2 promotes metastatic breast cancer. This work will help in developing new drugs to target TGM2 aimed at reducing breast cancer metastasis.

Down syndrome (DS) is a complex genetic disorder caused by the triplication of human chromosome 21 (Hsa21). The presence of an extra copy of an entire chromosome greatly disrupts the copy number and expression of over 350 protein coding genes. This gene dosage imbalance has far-reaching effects on normal development and aging, leading to cognitive and skeletal defects that emerge earlier in life than the general population.

The present study begins by characterizing skeletal development in young male Ts65Dn mice to test the hypothesis that skeletal defects in male Ts65Dn mice are developmental in nature.Femurs from young mice ranging from postnatal day 12- to 42-days of age (P12-42) were measured and analyzed by microcomputed tomography (μCT). Cortical defects were present generally throughout development, but trabecular defects emerged at P30 and persisted until P42.

The gene Dual-specificity tyrosine-regulated kinase 1a (Dyrk1a) is triplicated in both DS and in Ts65Dn mice and has been implicated as a putative cause of both cognitive and skeletal defects. To test the hypothesis that trisomic Dyrk1a is related to the emergence of trabecular defects at P30, expression of Dyrk1a in the femurs of male Ts65Dn mice was quantified by qPCR. Expression was shown to fluctuate throughout development and overexpression generally aligned with the emergence of trabecular defects at P30.

The growth rate in trabecular measures between male Ts65Dn and euploid littermates was similar between P30 and P42, suggesting a closer look into cellular mechanisms at P42. Assessment of proliferation of BMSCs, differentiation and activity of osteoblasts showed no significant differences between Ts65Dn and euploid cellular activity, suggesting that the cellular microenvironment has a greater influence on cellular activity than genetic background.

These data led to the hypothesis that reduction of Dyrk1a gene expression and pharmacological inhibition of DYRK1A could be executed during a critical period to prevent the emergence of trabecular defects at P30. To tests this hypothesis, doxycycline-induced cre-lox recombination to reduce Dyrk1a gene copy number or the DYRK1A inhibitor CX-4945 began at P21. The results of both genetic and pharmacological interventions suggest that trisomic Dyrk1a does not influence the emergence of trabecular defects up to P30. Instead, data suggest that the critical window for the rescue of trabecular defects lies between P30 and P42.