Bayesian Inference Approaches for Particle Trajectory Analysis in Cell Biology

Despite the importance of single particle motion in biological systems, systematic inference approaches to analyze particle trajectories and evaluate competing motion models are lacking. An automated approach for robust evaluation of motion models that does not require manual intervention is highly desirable to enable analysis of datasets from high-throughput imaging technologies that contain hundreds or thousands of trajectories of biological particles, such as membrane receptors, vesicles, chromosomes or kinetochores, mRNA particles, or whole cells in developing embryos. Bayesian inference is a general theoretical framework for performing such model comparisons that has proven successful in handling noise and experimental limitations in other biological applications. The inherent Bayesian penalty on model complexity, which avoids overfitting, is particularly important for particle trajectory analysis given the highly stochastic nature of particle diffusion. This thesis presents two complementary approaches for analyzing particle motion using Bayesian inference. The first method, MSD-Bayes, discriminates a wide range of motion models--including diffusion, directed motion, anomalous and confined diffusion--based on mean- square displacement analysis of a set of particle trajectories, while the second method, HMM-Bayes, identifies dynamic switching between diffusive and directed motion along individual trajectories using hidden Markov models. These approaches are validated on biological particle trajectory datasets from a wide range of experimental systems, demonstrating their broad applicability to research in cell biology

Unique Resistance of I/LnJ Mice to a Retrovirus Is Due to Sustained Interferon γ–dependent Production of Virus-neutralizing Antibodies

Selection of immune escape variants impairs the ability of the immune system to sustain an efficient antiviral response and to control retroviral infections. Like other retroviruses, mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) is not efficiently eliminated by the immune system of susceptible mice. In contrast, MMTV-infected I/LnJ mice are capable of producing IgG2a virus-neutralizing antibodies, sustain this response throughout their life, and secrete antibody-coated virions into the milk, thereby preventing infection of their progeny. Antibodies were produced in response to several MMTV variants and were cross-reactive to them. Resistance to MMTV infection was recessive and was dependent on interferon (IFN)-γ production, because I/LnJ mice with targeted deletion of the INF-γ gene failed to produce any virus-neutralizing antibodies. These findings reveal a novel mechanism of resistance to retroviral infection that is based on a robust and sustained IFN-γ–dependent humoral immune response

An Arp2/3 Nucleated F-Actin Shell Fragments Nuclear Membranes at Nuclear Envelope Breakdown in Starfish Oocytes

Animal cells disassemble and reassemble their nuclear envelopes (NEs) upon each division. Nuclear envelope breakdown (NEBD) serves as a major regulatory mechanism by which mixing of cytoplasmic and nuclear compartments drives the complete reorganization of cellular architecture, committing the cell for division. Breakdown is initiated by phosphorylation-driven partial disassembly of the nuclear pore complexes (NPCs), increasing their permeability but leaving the overall NE structure intact. Subsequently, the NE is rapidly broken into membrane fragments, defining the transition from prophase to prometaphase and resulting in complete mixing of cyto- and nucleoplasm. However, the mechanism underlying this rapid NE fragmentation remains largely unknown. Here, we show that NE fragmentation during NEBD in starfish oocytes is driven by an Arp2/3 complex-nucleated F-actin “shell” that transiently polymerizes on the inner surface of the NE. Blocking the formation of this F-actin shell prevents membrane fragmentation and delays entry of large cytoplasmic molecules into the nucleus. We observe spike-like protrusions extending from the F-actin shell that appear to “pierce” the NE during the fragmentation process. Finally, we show that NE fragmentation is essential for successful reproduction, because blocking this process in meiosis leads to formation of aneuploid eggs.MIT Faculty Start-up FundNational Science Foundation (U.S.). Graduate Research Fellowshi

Mapping translation hot-spots in live cells by tracking single molecules of mRNA and ribosomes.

Messenger RNA localization is important for cell motility by local protein translation. However, while single mRNAs can be imaged and their movements tracked in single cells, it has not yet been possible to determine whether these mRNAs are actively translating. Therefore, we imaged single β-actin mRNAs tagged with MS2 stem loops colocalizing with labeled ribosomes to determine when polysomes formed. A dataset of tracking information consisting of thousands of trajectories per cell demonstrated that mRNAs co-moving with ribosomes have significantly different diffusion properties from non-translating mRNAs that were exposed to translation inhibitors. These data indicate that ribosome load changes mRNA movement and therefore highly translating mRNAs move slower. Importantly, β-actin mRNA near focal adhesions exhibited sub-diffusive corralled movement characteristic of increased translation. This method can identify where ribosomes become engaged for local protein production and how spatial regulation of mRNA-protein interactions mediates cell directionality