Author: Richard Mort

Our Fucci2a and Arl13b-Fucci2a inducible and constitutive MESC and constitutive NIH 3T3 cell lines from the Mort lab and our collaboration with the Mill lab are now available through the RIKEN BRC. Further details on our resources page………

A Cell/Cilia Cycle Biosensor for Single-Cell Kinetics Reveals Persistence of Cilia after G1/S Transition Is a General Property in Cells and Mice.  Ford MJ, Yeyati PL, Mali GR, Keighren MA, Waddell SH, Mjoseng HK, Douglas AT, Hall EA, Sakaue-Sawano A, Miyawaki A, Meehan RR, Boulter L, Jackson IJ, Mill P, Mort RL. Dev Cell. 2018 Nov 19;47(4):509-523.e5. doi: 10.1016/j.devcel.2018.10.027. PMID: 30458140 Free PMC article.

Fucci2a: a bicistronic cell cycle reporter that allows Cre mediated tissue specific expression in mice. Mort RL, Ford MJ, Sakaue-Sawano A, Lindstrom NO, Casadio A, Douglas AT, Keighren MA, Hohenstein P, Miyawaki A, Jackson IJ. Cell Cycle. 2014;13(17):2681-96. doi: 10.4161/15384101.2015.945381. PMID: 25486356 Free PMC article.

Our beautiful Arl13b-Fucci2a inducible and constitutive mouse lines from our collaboration with the Mill lab are now available through the RIKEN BRC. Further details on our resources page………

Ford M.J., Yeyati P.L., Mali G.R., Keighren M.A., Waddell S.H., Mjoseng H.K., Douglas A.T., Hall E.A., Sakaue-Sawano A., Miyawaki A., Meehan R.R., Boulter L., Jackson I.J., Mill P., Mort R.L. A Cell/Cilia Cycle Biosensor for Single-Cell Kinetics Reveals Persistence of Cilia after G1/S Transition Is a General Property in Cells and Mice. 2018. Developmental Cell. 475095230000010.1016/j.devcel.2018.10.027.

The Arl13b-Fucci2a inducible and constitutive mouse lines from our collaboration with the Mill lab are now available through EMMA. Further details on our resources page………

Ford M.J., Yeyati P.L., Mali G.R., Keighren M.A., Waddell S.H., Mjoseng H.K., Douglas A.T., Hall E.A., Sakaue-Sawano A., Miyawaki A., Meehan R.R., Boulter L., Jackson I.J., Mill P., Mort R.L. A Cell/Cilia Cycle Biosensor for Single-Cell Kinetics Reveals Persistence of Cilia after G1/S Transition Is a General Property in Cells and Mice. 2018. Developmental Cell. 475095230000010.1016/j.devcel.2018.10.027.

The Mort Lab are looking for self-funded MSc by Research (MRes) students to develop new DNA damage biosensors or to investigate the role of mechanical forces in melanocyte development.

MSc Project 1: Developing multicistronic biosensors of proliferation and DNA damage.

Help us generate next generation biosensors that allow us to monitor DNA damage status and cell cycle stage using the Fucci ^1-3 (fluorescence ubiquitination cell cycle indicator) system in living cells as tools for cancer research.

MSc Project 2: Investigating the role of mechanical forces on melanocyte and melanoblast behaviour.

Melanoblasts are able to migrate and proliferate extensively as they colonise the expanding epidermis ⁴ during embryonic development. But how do the physical forces exerted on the tissue influence this behaviour? This project will build tissue and cell stretching devices using Lego⁵ to investigate the influence of physical forces on melanocyte behaviour.

Contact: r.mort@lancaster.ac.uk

1. Sakaue-Sawano A. et al. Visualizing spatiotemporal dynamics of multicellular cell-cycle progression. Cell 132:487-98 (2008).

2. Mort, R. L. et al. Fucci2a: A bicistronic cell cycle reporter that allows Cre mediated tissue specific expression in mice. Cell Cycle 13, (2014).

3. Sakaue-Sawano A. et al. Genetically Encoded Tools for Optical Dissection of the Mammalian Cell Cycle. Mol. Cell 2;68(3):626-640.e5 (2017).

4. Mort, R. L. et al. Reconciling diverse mammalian pigmentation patterns with a fundamental mathematical model. Nat. Commun. 7, (2016).

5. Boulter E. et al. Cyclic uniaxial mechanical stretching of cells using a LEGO® parts-based mechanical stretcher system. J Cell Sci 133 (1): jcs234666, (2020).

Our R26Fucci2a ubiquitous cell cycle reporter mice have landed in the EMMA repository. Delighted to see all the lovely ways in which they have already been used.

Here’s a developing lung………

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4613862/figure/f0005/

Looking forward to seeing them used in new and innovative applications. Watch this space for new materials landing in the repositories.

For all your live cell cycle and imaging projects the following Fucci2a (Mort 2014) and Arl13b-Fucci2a (Ford 2018) plasmids are now available through the Riken BRC DNA Bank:

pCAG-Fucci2a
pCDNA5-Fucci2a
pROSA26-floxNeo-Fucci2a
pCDNA5-CAG-Arl13bCerulean-Fucci2a
pCAG-Arl13bCerulean-Fucci2a
pROSA26-floxNeo-Arl13bCerulean-Fucci2a

More info:

Resources

https://dnaconda.riken.jp/search/depositor/dep101017.html

Cheers to Emma and Tiernan for agreeing to assist with this piece. Glad you made the cut!

Congratulations to new recruit Louise who passed her MRes viva on Monday back at Edge Hill University! Well done. Looking forward to more success on the melanoma/cilia project here in Lancaster.