Molecular Biology and Genetics / Moleküler Biyoloji ve Genetik
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/11147/9
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Article Citation - Scopus: 11Μdacs Platform: a Hybrid Microfluidic Platform Using Magnetic Levitation Technique and Integrating Magnetic, Gravitational, and Drag Forces for Density-Based Rare Cancer Cell Sorting(Elsevier, 2023) Keçili, Seren; Yılmaz, Esra; Özçelik, Özge Solmaz; Anıl İnevi, Müge; Günyüz, Zehra Elif; Yalçın Özuysal, Özden; Özçivici, Engin; Tekin, Hüseyin CumhurCirculating tumor cells (CTCs) are crucial indicators of cancer metastasis. However, their rarity in the bloodstream and the heterogeneity of their surface biomarkers present challenges for their isolation. Here, we developed a hybrid microfluidic platform (microfluidic-based density-associated cell sorting (µDACS) platform) that utilizes density as a biophysical marker to sort cancer cells from the population of white blood cells (WBCs). The platform utilizes the magnetic levitation technique on a microfluidic chip to sort cells based on their specific density ranges, operating under a continuous flow condition. By harnessing magnetic, gravitational, and drag forces, the platform efficiently separates cells. This approach involves a microfluidic chip equipped with a microseparator, which directs cells into top and bottom outlets depending on their levitation heights, which are inversely proportional to their densities. Hence, low-density cancer cells are collected from the top outlet, while high-density WBCs are collected from the bottom outlet. We optimized the sorting efficiency by varying the flow rates, and concentrations of the sorting medium's paramagnetic properties using standard densities of polymeric microspheres. To demonstrate the platform's applicability, we performed hybrid microfluidic sorting on MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells and U-937 human monocytes. The results showed efficient sorting of rare cancer cells (≥100 cells/mL) from serum samples, achieving a sorting efficiency of ∼70% at a fast-processing speed of 1 mL h−1. This label-free approach holds promise for rapid and cost-effective CTC sorting, facilitating in-vitro diagnosis and prognosis of cancer. © 2023 The Author(s)Book Part Citation - Scopus: 1Automated Analysis of Phase-Contrast Optical Microscopy Time-Lapse Images: Application To Wound Healing and Cell Motility Assays of Breast Cancer(Elsevier, 2023) Erdem, Yusuf Sait; Ayanzadeh, Aydın; Mayalı, Berkay; Balıkçı, Muhammed; Belli, Özge Nur; Uçar, Mahmut; Yalçın Özuysal, Özden; Pesen Okvur, Devrim; Önal, Sevgi; Morani, Kenan; Iheme, Leonardo Obinna; Töreyin, Behçet UğurThis chapter describes a workflow for analyzing phase-contrast microscopy (PCM) data from two fundamental types of biomedical assays: assays for cell motility and assays for wound healing. The workflow of the analysis is composed of the methods for acquiring, restoring, segmenting, and quantifying biomedical data. In the literature, there have been separate methods aimed at specific stages of PCM data analysis. Nonetheless, there has never been a complete workflow for all stages of analysis. This work is an innovation that proposes an end-to-end workflow for image pre-processing, deep learning segmentation, tracking, and quantification stages in cell motility and wound healing assay analyses. The findings indicate that domain knowledge can be used to make simple but significant improvements to the results of cutting-edge methods. Furthermore, even for deep learning-based methods, pre-processing is clearly a necessary step in the workflow. © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Book Part Citation - Scopus: 5Epitranscriptomics Changes the Play: M6a Rna Modifications in Apoptosis(Springer, 2022) Akçaöz, Azime; Akgül, BünyaminApoptosis is a form of programmed cell death that is essential for cellular and organismal homeostasis. Any irregularities that disturb the balance between apoptosis and cell survival have severe implications, such as improper development or life-threatening diseases. Thus, it is highly critical to maintain a proper rate of apoptosis throughout development. In fact, several complex transcriptional and posttranscriptional mechanisms exist in eukaryotes to critically regulate the rate of apoptotic processes. Recent studies suggest that not only RNA sequences but also their modifications, such as m6A methylation, play a fundamental role in these transcriptional and posttranscriptional processes. A specific set of proteins, called writer, eraser, and reader of m6A marks, modulate the rate of apoptosis by determining the m6A repertoire and the fate of certain transcripts associated with apoptosis. In this Review, we will cover the dynamic m6A RNA modifications and their impact on modulation of apoptosis.Editorial Citation - Scopus: 1Lessons From a Ten-Year Journey: Building a Student-Driven Computational Biology Society Across Turkey(F1000 Research, 2022) Kaya, Yasin; Karakulak, Tülay; Saylan, Cemil Can; Gür, E. Ravza; Tatlıdil, Engin; Güleşen, Sevilay; Betül Dinçaslan, Fatma; Dönertaş, Handan MelikeThe Regional Student Group Turkey (RSG-Turkey) is officially associated with the International Society for Computational Biology (ISCB) Student Council (SC). At the RSG-Turkey, we aim to contribute to the early-career researchers in computational biology and bioinformatics fields by providing opportunities for improving their academic and technical skills in the field. Over the last ten years, we have built a well-known student-driven academic society in Turkey that organizes numerous events every year and continues to grow with over 650 current members. Celebrating the 10th anniversary of RSG-Turkey, in this communication, we share our experiences, five main lessons we learned, and the steps to establish a long-standing academic community: having a clear mission, building a robust structure, effective communication, turning challenges into opportunities, and building collaborations. We believe that our experiences can help students and academics establish long-standing communities in fast-developing areas like bioinformatics.Conference Object Citation - WoS: 3Citation - Scopus: 4Deep Learning Based Segmentation Pipeline for Label-Free Phase-Contrast Microscopy Images(IEEE, 2020) Ayanzadeh, Aydın; Yalçın Özuysal, Özden; Okvur, Devrim Pesen; Önal, Sevgi; Töreyin, Behçet Uğur; Ünay, DevrimThe segmentation of cells is necessary for biologists in the morphological statistics for quantitative and qualitative analysis in Phase-contrast Microscopy (PCM) images. In this paper, we address the cell segmentation problem in PCM images. Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) commonly is initialized with weights from a network pre-trained on a large annotated data set like ImageNet have superior performance than those trained from scratch on a small dataset. Here, we demonstrate how encoder-decoder type architectures such as U-Net and Feature Pyramid Network (FPN) can be improved by an alternative encoder which pre-trained on the ImageNet dataset. In particular, our experimental results confirm that the image descriptors from ResNet-18 are highly effective in accurate prediction of the cell boundary and have higher Intersection over Union (IoU) in comparison to the classical U-Net and require fewer training epochs.Conference Object Citation - Scopus: 2Yara İyileşmesi Mikroskopi Görüntü Serilerinin Otomatik Analizi - Bir Ön-çalışma(IEEE, 2020) Mayalı, Berkay; Şaylığ, Orkun; Yalçın Özuysal, Özden; Pesen Okvur, Devrim; Töreyin, Behçet Uğur; Ünay, DevrimCollective cell analysis from microscopy image series is important for wound healing research. Computer-based automation of such analyses may help in rapid acquisition of reliable and reproducible results. In this study phase -contrast optical microscopy image series of an in-vitro wound healing essay is manually delineated by two experts and its analysis is realized, traditional image processing and deep learning based approaches for automated segmentation of wound area are developed and their perlOrmance comparisons are carried out.Conference Object Assessment of Cell Cycle and Viability of Magnetic Levitation Assembled Cellular Structures(IEEE, 2020) Anıl İnevi, Müge; Ünal, Yağmur Ceren; Yaman, Sena; Tekin, H. Cumhur; Meşe, Gülistan; Meşe, GülistanLabel-free magnetic levitation is one of the most recent Earth-based in vitro techniques that simulate the microgravity. This technique offers a great opportunity to biofabricate scaffold-free 3-dimensional (3D) structures and to study the effects of microgravity on these structures. In this study, self-assembled 3D living structures were fabricated in a paramagnetic medium by magnetic levitation technique and effects of the technique on cellular health was assessed. This magnetic force-assisted assembly system applied here offers broad applications in several fields, such as space biotechnology and bottom-up tissue engineering.Book Part Citation - Scopus: 86The Role of Mirna in Cancer: Pathogenesis, Diagnosis, and Treatment(Humana Press, 2022) Uzuner, Erez; Ulu, Gizem Tuğçe; Gürler, Sevim Beyza; Baran, YusufCancer is also determined by the alterations of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. These gene expressions can be regulated by microRNAs (miRNA). At this point, researchers focus on addressing two main questions: “How are oncogenes and/or tumor suppressor genes regulated by miRNAs?” and “Which other mechanisms in cancer cells are regulated by miRNAs?” In this work we focus on gathering the publications answering these questions. The expression of miRNAs is affected by amplification, deletion or mutation. These processes are controlled by oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes, which regulate different mechanisms of cancer initiation and progression including cell proliferation, cell growth, apoptosis, DNA repair, invasion, angiogenesis, metastasis, drug resistance, metabolic regulation, and immune response regulation in cancer cells. In addition, profiling of miRNA is an important step in developing a new therapeutic approach for cancer. © 2022, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.Book Part Citation - Scopus: 20Experimental MicroRNA Detection Methods(Humana Press, 2022) Yaylak, Bilge; Akgül, BünyaminMicroRNAs (miRNAs) are considerably small yet highly important riboregulators involved in nearly all cellular processes. Due to their critical roles in posttranscriptional regulation of gene expression, they have the potential to be used as biomarkers in addition to their use as drug targets. Although computational approaches speed up the initial genomewide identification of putative miRNAs, experimental approaches are essential for further validation and functional analyses of differentially expressed miRNAs. Therefore, sensitive, specific, and cost-effective microRNA detection methods are imperative for both individual and multiplex analysis of miRNA expression in different tissues and during different developmental stages. There are a number of well-established miRNA detection methods that can be exploited depending on the comprehensiveness of the study (individual miRNA versus multiplex analysis), the availability of the sample and the location and intracellular concentration of miRNAs. This review aims to highlight not only traditional but also novel strategies that are widely used in experimental identification and quantification of microRNAs. © 2022, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.Book Part Citation - Scopus: 444 Current Challenges in Mirnomics(Humana Press, 2022) Akgül, Bünyamin; Stadler, Peter F.; Hawkins, Liam J.; Hadj-Moussa, Hanane; Storey, Kenneth B.; Ergin, Kemal; Allmer, JensMature microRNAs (miRNAs) are short RNA sequences about 18–24 nucleotide long, which provide the recognition key within RISC for the posttranscriptional regulation of target RNAs. Considering the canonical pathway, mature miRNAs are produced via a multistep process. Their transcription (pri-miRNAs) and first processing step via the microprocessor complex (pre-miRNAs) occur in the nucleus. Then they are exported into the cytosol, processed again by Dicer (dsRNA) and finally a single strand (mature miRNA) is incorporated into RISC (miRISC). The sequence of the incorporated miRNA provides the function of RNA target recognition via hybridization. Following binding of the target, the mRNA is either degraded or translation is inhibited, which ultimately leads to less protein production. Conversely, it has been shown that binding within the 5? UTR of the mRNA can lead to an increase in protein product. Regulation of homeostasis is very important for a cell; therefore, all steps in the miRNA-based regulation pathway, from transcription to the incorporation of the mature miRNA into RISC, are under tight control. While much research effort has been exerted in this area, the knowledgebase is not sufficient for accurately modelling miRNA regulation computationally. The computational prediction of miRNAs is, however, necessary because it is not feasible to investigate all possible pairs of a miRNA and its target, let alone miRNAs and their targets. We here point out open challenges important for computational modelling or for our general understanding of miRNA-based regulation and show how their investigation is beneficial. It is our hope that this collection of challenges will lead to their resolution in the near future. © 2022, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.