Publications

@article{Mendonca2025-la,

title = {The mitotic chromosome periphery modulates chromosome mechanics},

author = {Tania Mendonca and Roman Urban and Kellie Lucken and George Coney and Neil M Kad and Manlio Tassieri and Amanda J Wright and Daniel G Booth},

doi = {10.1038/s41467-025-61755-5},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-07-01},

urldate = {2025-07-01},

journal = {Nat. Commun.},

volume = {16},

number = {1},

pages = {6399},

publisher = {Springer Science and Business Media LLC},

abstract = {In dividing cells, chromosomes are coated in a sheath of 

 proteins and RNA called the mitotic chromosome periphery. This 

 sheath is thought to confer biophysical properties to 

 chromosomes, critical for successful cell division. However, the 

 details of chromosome mechanics, and specifically, if and how 

 the chromosome periphery contributes to them, remain poorly 

 understood. In this study, we present a comprehensive 

 characterisation of single-chromosome mechanics using optical 

 tweezers and an improved broadband microrheology analysis. We 

 extend this analysis to direct measurements of the chromosome 

 periphery by manipulating levels of Ki-67, its chief organiser, 

 and apply a rheological model to isolate its contribution to 

 chromosome mechanics. We report that the chromosome periphery 

 governs dynamic self-reorganisation of chromosomes and acts as a 

 structural constraint, providing force-damping properties. This 

 work provides significant insight into chromosome mechanics and 

 will inform our understanding of the mitotic chromosome 

 periphery\'s role in cell division.},

keywords = {chromosome mechanics, microrheology, optical trapping, Optical tweezers},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Mendonca2023-hi,

title = {OptoRheo: Simultaneous in situ micro-mechanical sensing and  imaging of live 3D biological systems},

author = {Tania Mendonca and Katarzyna Lis-Slimak and Andrew B Matheson and Matthew G Smith and Akosua B Anane-Adjei and Jennifer C Ashworth and Robert Cavanagh and Lynn Paterson and Paul A Dalgarno and Cameron Alexander and Manlio Tassieri and Catherine L R Merry and Amanda J Wright},

year  = {2023},

date = {2023-04-01},

urldate = {2023-04-01},

journal = {Commun. Biol.},

volume = {6},

number = {1},

pages = {463},

abstract = {Biomechanical cues from the extracellular matrix (ECM) are 

 essential for directing many cellular processes, from normal 

 development and repair, to disease progression. To better 

 understand cell-matrix interactions, we have developed a new 

 instrument named \'OptoRheo\' that combines light sheet 

 fluorescence microscopy with particle tracking microrheology. 

 OptoRheo lets us image cells in 3D as they proliferate over 

 several days while simultaneously sensing the mechanical 

 properties of the surrounding extracellular and pericellular 

 matrix at a sub-cellular length scale. OptoRheo can be used in 

 two operational modalities (with and without an optical trap) to 

 extend the dynamic range of microrheology measurements. We 

 corroborated this by characterising the ECM surrounding live 

 breast cancer cells in two distinct culture systems, cell 

 clusters in 3D hydrogels and spheroids in suspension culture. 

 This cutting-edge instrument will transform the exploration of 

 drug transport through complex cell culture matrices and optimise 

 the design of the next-generation of disease models.},

keywords = {3D in vitro models, Biomaterials (hydrogels scaffolds), cell matrix interactions, light sheet fluorescence microscopy, microrheology, multiplane microscopy, optical trapping, Optical tweezers, viscoelasticity},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Sinjab2020-az,

title = {Induction and measurement of the early stage of a host-parasite 

 interaction using a combined optical trapping and Raman 

 microspectroscopy system},

author = {Faris Sinjab and Hany M Elsheikha and Max Dooley and Ioan Notingher},

year  = {2020},

date = {2020-02-01},

journal = {J. Biophotonics},

volume = {13},

number = {2},

pages = {e201960065},

publisher = {Wiley},

abstract = {Understanding and quantifying the temporal acquisition of host 

 cell molecules by intracellular pathogens is fundamentally 

 important in biology. In this study, a recently developed 

 holographic optical trapping (HOT)-based Raman microspectroscopy 

 (RMS) instrument is applied to detect, characterize and monitor 

 in real time the molecular trafficking of a specific molecular 

 species (isotope-labeled phenylalanine (L-Phe(D8)) at the single 

 cell level. This approach enables simultaneous measurement of 

 the chemical composition of human cerebrovascular endothelial 

 cells and the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii in isolation 

 at the very start of the infection process. Using a model to 

 decouple measurement contributions from host and pathogen 

 sampling in the excitation volume, the data indicate that 

 manipulating parasites with HOT coupled with RMS chemical 

 readout was an effective method for measurement of L-Phe(D8) 

 transfer from host cells to parasites in real-time, from the 

 moment the parasite enters the host cell.},

keywords = {blood-brain-barrier, host-parasite interaction, optical trapping, Raman spectroscopy, Toxoplasma gondii},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}