Contact inhibition enables noncancerous cells to cease proliferation and growth when they contact each other. This characteristic is lost when cells undergo malignant transformation, leading to uncontrolled proliferation and solid tumor formation. Here we report that autophagy is compromised in contact-inhibited cells in 2D or 3D-soft extracellular matrix cultures. In such cells, YAP/TAZ fail to co-transcriptionally regulate the expression of myosin-II genes, resulting in the loss of F-actin stress fibers, which impairs autophagosome formation. The decreased proliferation resulting from contact inhibition is partly autophagy-dependent, as is their increased sensitivity to hypoxia and glucose starvation. These findings define how mechanically repressed YAP/TAZ activity impacts autophagy to contribute to core phenotypes resulting from high cell confluence that are lost in various cancers.

Bioelectronics hold the key for understanding and treating disease. However, achieving stable, long‐term interfaces between electronics and the body remains a challenge. Implantation of a bioelectronic device typically initiates a foreign body response, which can limit long‐term recording and stimulation efficacy. Techniques from regenerative medicine have shown a high propensity for promoting integration of implants with surrounding tissue, but these implants lack the capabilities for the sophisticated recording and actuation afforded by electronics. Combining these two fields can achieve the best of both worlds. Here, the construction of a hybrid implant system for creating long‐term interfaces with tissue is shown. Implants are created by combining a microelectrode array with a bioresorbable and remodellable gel. These implants are shown to produce a minimal foreign body response when placed into musculature, allowing one to record long‐term electromyographic signals with high spatial resolution. This device platform drives the possibility for a new generation of implantable electronics for long‐term interfacing.

No abstract

Bioelectronics hold the key for understanding and treating disease. However, achieving stable, long-term interfaces between electronics and the body remains a challenge. Implantation of a bioelectronic device typically initiates a foreign body response, which can limit long-term recording and stimulation efficacy. Techniques from regenerative medicine have shown a high propensity for promoting integration of implants with surrounding tissue, but these implants lack the capabilities for the sophisticated recording and actuation afforded by electronics. Combining these two fields can achieve the best of both worlds. Here, we show the construction of a hybrid implant system for creating long-term interfaces with tissue. We create implants by combining a microelectrode array with a bioresorbable and remodellable gel. These implants are shown to produce a minimal foreign body response when placed into musculature, allowing us to record long-term electromyographic signals with high spatial resolution. This device platform drives the possibility for a new generation of implantable electronics for long-term interfacing.

No abstract