Reposted by Kate Cavanaugh
Excited to share my first preprint from my PhD work in the Bement lab 🥳 💝
We discovered a previously unrecognized function of the RhoGAP RGA-3/4: RGA-3/4 directly and cooperatively binds to F-actin and reorganizes it by crosslinking actin filaments
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
Molecular and cellular characterization of the interaction between the Rho GAP RGA-3/4 and F-actin
During cytokinesis in amphibian and echinoderm embryos, propagating waves of Rho activity and F-actin assembly - cortical excitability - are amplified and focused at the equatorial cortex by the mitot...
![A mechanical origin for implantation defects in embryos from aged females
View ORCID ProfileKate E. Cavanaugh, MJ Franco-Oñate, View ORCID ProfileDiana J. Laird, View ORCID ProfilePatrick W. Oakes, View ORCID ProfileRicard Alert, View ORCID ProfileOrion D. Weiner
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.09.29.679218
This article is a preprint and has not been certified by peer review [what does this mean?].
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Abstract
Women over 35 experience a marked reduction in fertility. The origin of these fertility defects appears to reside in the implantation capacity of the embryo itself, but the mechanistic basis of this impairment is not well-understood. Here, we identify a core mechanical defect in embryos from aged mothers that impairs the process of implantation. Using mouse models, we find that reproductive aging yields increased contractility in the extra-embryonic trophectoderm, the outer epithelial tissue responsible for mediating uterine attachment and embryo implantation. This hypercontractile state elevates tissue surface tension and viscosity in the blastocyst, culminating in defective spreading during implantation. Enhanced contractility is necessary and sufficient for this age-related defect in implantation, and early embryo mechanics can be used to predict successful implantation for embryos from both young and aged mothers. Our work represents a potential foundation for improving embryo selection in Assisted Reproductive Technologies to resolve age-related defects in female fertility.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:r3avzdjyhu6jm7vxia265ncu/bafkreidwkz6hpwh3josl4midd67cyjkovizjdbix7lt6gu44wnqyieyv4e)
