Laura Quintana

Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

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Gustavo M. Callicó

Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

Samuel Ortega

Nofima

Himar Fabelo

Fundación Canaria de Investigación Sanitaria

James Sharpe

Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats

Raquel León

Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

Carlos Vega

Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

Carlos López

Institut d'Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili

Licia Selleri

University of California, San Francisco

Elisabetta Ferretti

Sapienza University of Rome

Marylène Lejeune

Hospital de Tortosa Virgen de la Cinta

Cooperative Institutions

Cornell University

Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas

Hospital Universitario de Gran Canaria Doctor Negrín

Imperial College London

University of California, San Francisco

Institut d'Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili

Weill Cornell Medicine

Universidad Rovira i Virgili

Hospital de Tortosa Virgen de la Cinta

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Control of pelvic girdle development by genes of the Pbx family and Emx2

Developmental Dynamics (2011)

Terence D. Capellini Karen Handschuh Laura Quintana Elisabetta Ferretti Giuseppina Di Giacomo

Abstract Genes expressed in the somatopleuric mesoderm, the embryonic domain giving rise to the vertebrate pelvis, appear important for pelvic girdle formation. Among such genes, Pbx family members and Emx2 were found to genetically interact in hindlimb and pectoral girdle formation. Here, we generated compound mutant embryos carrying combinations of mutated alleles for Pbx1 , Pbx2 , and Pbx3 , as well as Pbx1 and Emx2 , to examine potential genetic interactions during pelvic development. Indeed, Pbx genes share overlapping functions and Pbx1 and Emx2 genetically interact in pelvic formation. We show that, in compound Pbx1;Pbx2 and Pbx1;Emx2 mutants, pelvic mesenchymal condensation is markedly perturbed, indicative of an upstream control by these homeoproteins. We establish that expression of Tbx15 , Prrx1 , and Pax1 , among other genes involved in the specification and development of select pelvic structures, is altered in our compound mutants. Lastly, we identify potential Pbx1‐Emx2–regulated enhancers for Tbx15 , Prrx1 , and Pax1 , using bioinformatics analyses. Developmental Dynamics 240:1173–1189, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

EMX2

10.1002/dvdy.22617

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Citations (36)

N-mycControls Proliferation, Morphogenesis, and Patterning of the Inner Ear

Journal of Neuroscience (2011)

Elena Domínguez‐Frutos Iris López‐Hernández Victor Vendrell Joana Neves Micaela Gallozzi

Myc family members play crucial roles in regulating cell proliferation, size, and differentiation during organogenesis. Both N-myc and c-myc are expressed throughout inner ear development. To address their function in the mouse inner ear, we generated mice with conditional deletions in either N-myc or c-myc . Loss of c-myc in the inner ear causes no apparent defects, whereas inactivation of N-myc results in reduced growth caused by a lack of proliferation. Reciprocally, the misexpression of N-myc in the inner ear increases proliferation. Morphogenesis of the inner ear in N-myc mouse mutants is severely disturbed, including loss of the lateral canal, fusion of the cochlea with the sacculus and utriculus, and stunted outgrowth of the cochlea. Mutant cochleas are characterized by an increased number of cells exiting the cell cycle that express the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p27 Kip1 and lack cyclin D1, both of which control the postmitotic state of hair cells. Analysis of different molecular markers in N-myc mutant ears reveals the development of a rudimentary organ of Corti containing hair cells and the underlying supporting cells. Differentiated cells, however, fail to form the highly ordered structure characteristic for the organ of Corti but appear as rows or clusters with an excess number of hair cells. The Kölliker's organ, a transient structure neighboring the organ of Corti and a potential source of ectopic hair cells, is absent in the mutant ears. Collectively, our data suggest that N-myc regulates growth, morphogenesis, and pattern formation during the development of the inner ear.

10.1523/jneurosci.0785-11.2011

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Citations (47)

Stitching Algorithms for Automatic Assembly of Hyperspectral Histological Images

Laura Quintana

Image stitching

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Blur-Specific No-Reference Image Quality Assesment for Microscopic Hyperspectral Image Focus Quantification

Laura Quintana Samuel Ortega Himar Fabelo Gustavo M. Callicó

Hyperspectral (HS) imaging is a novel technique that allows for better understanding of materials, being an improvement in multiple applications. However, one of its main drawbacks is the focus assessment. This issue has already been covered for RGB images. Thus, in this study, it is going to be revised several no reference RGB image quality assessment algorithms (NR-IQA). To this aim, a HS image database was created by capturing different images of the same specimen at different working distances. NR-IQA algorithms were tested over monochromatic images extracted from the HS images. Additionally, a study through each independent wavelength was carried out. Results showed that some algorithms perform better for calibration samples and another ones for biological samples. Furthermore, focus differences were found in the initial and final wavelengths. In conclusion, HS image results are similar to the one obtained for RGB images but, there is still room for improvement.

RGB color model

Monochromatic color

10.1109/whispers52202.2021.9483992

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Citations (2)

Optical Projection Tomography of Vertebrate Embryo Development

Cold Spring Harbor Protocols (2011)

Laura Quintana James Sharpe

INTRODUCTION This article includes a brief introduction to optical projection tomography (OPT) as a method for imaging whole vertebrate embryos. To place OPT in its proper context within the field of three-dimensional (3D) embryo imaging, the article starts with a brief overview of the previously existing techniques, both destructive and nondestructive. Next is a description of how OPT works and its advantages over other approaches. Two practical sections are then presented that consider the applications of OPT and how to get the best results from OPT in terms of specimen preparation and imaging modes.

10.1101/pdb.top116

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Citations (40)

Assessing Processing Strategies on Data from Medical Hyperspectral Acquisition Systems

2022 25th Euromicro Conference on Digital System Design (DSD) (2024)

Laura Quintana Carlos Vega Raquel León Guillermo V. Socorro-Marrero Samuel Ortega

10.1109/dsd64264.2024.00068

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Fluorescence lifetime optical projection tomography

Journal of Biophotonics (2008)

James McGinty Khadija B. Tahir Romain F. Laine Clifford Talbot Christopher Dunsby

Abstract We describe a quantitative fluorescence projection tomography technique which measures the 3‐D fluorescence lifetime distribution in optically cleared specimens up 1 cm in diameter. This is achieved by acquiring a series of wide‐field time‐gated images at different relative time delays with respect to a train of excitation pulses, at a number of projection angles. For each time delay, the 3‐D time‐gated intensity distribution is reconstructed using a filtered back projection algorithm and the fluorescence lifetime subsequently determined for each reconstructed horizontal plane by iterative fitting to a mono‐exponential decay. Due to its inherently ratiometric nature, fluorescence lifetime is robust against intensity based artefacts as well as producing a quantitative measure of the fluorescence signal. We present a 3‐D fluorescence lifetime reconstruction of a mouse embryo labelled with an alexa‐488 conjugated antibody targeted to the neurofilament, which clearly differentiates between the extrinsic label and the autofluorescence, particularly from the heart and dorsal aorta. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Fluorescence-lifetime imaging microscopy

Autofluorescence

Optical sectioning

10.1002/jbio.200810044

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Citations (41)

Scapula development is governed by genetic interactions ofPbx1with its family members and withEmx2via their cooperative control ofAlx1

Development (2010)

Terence D. Capellini G. Vaccari Elisabetta Ferretti Sebastian Fantini Mu He

The genetic pathways underlying shoulder blade development are largely unknown, as gene networks controlling limb morphogenesis have limited influence on scapula formation. Analysis of mouse mutants for Pbx and Emx2 genes has suggested their potential roles in girdle development. In this study, by generating compound mutant mice, we examined the genetic control of scapula development by Pbx genes and their functional relationship with Emx2. Analyses of Pbx and Pbx1;Emx2 compound mutants revealed that Pbx genes share overlapping functions in shoulder development and that Pbx1 genetically interacts with Emx2 in this process. Here, we provide a biochemical basis for Pbx1;Emx2 genetic interaction by showing that Pbx1 and Emx2 can bind specific DNA sequences as heterodimers. Moreover, the expression of genes crucial for scapula development is altered in these mutants, indicating that Pbx genes act upstream of essential pathways for scapula formation. In particular, expression of Alx1, an effector of scapula blade patterning, is absent in all compound mutants. We demonstrate that Pbx1 and Emx2 bind in vivo to a conserved sequence upstream of Alx1 and cooperatively activate its transcription via this potential regulatory element. Our results establish an essential role for Pbx1 in genetic interactions with its family members and with Emx2 and delineate novel regulatory networks in shoulder girdle development.

EMX2

10.1242/dev.048819

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Citations (69)

Feasibility Study of Hyperspectral Colposcopy as a Novel Tool for Detecting Precancerous Cervical Lesions

Research Square (Research Square) (2024)

Carlos Vega Norberto Medina Laura Quintana Raquel León Himar Fabelo

Abstract Cervical cancer remains a major global health concern, with a specially alarming incidence in younger women. Traditional detection techniques such as the Pap smear and colposcopy often lack sensitivity and specificity and are highly dependent on the experience of the gynaecologist. In response, this study proposes the use of Hyperspectral Imaging, a pioneering technology that combines traditional imaging with spectroscopy to provide detailed spatial and spectral information. Over a period of six-months, our custom-designed hyperspectral colposcope was used on 62 patients. The gathered data underwent a specialized preprocessing workflow using a PCA-based strategy for unsupervised segmentation of the cervical region. This process extracted spectral signatures from various tissue types, and our subsequent statistical analysis highlighted its ability to detect differences and alterations in the cervical tissue. This offers a promising avenue for improving the precision of cervical lesion diagnosis.

10.21203/rs.3.rs-4343232/v1

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Hox Genes Regulate Digit Patterning by Controlling the Wavelength of a Turing-Type Mechanism

Science (2012)

Rushikesh Sheth Luciano Marcon María Félix Bastida Marisa Junco Laura Quintana

The formation of repetitive structures (such as stripes) in nature is often consistent with a reaction-diffusion mechanism, or Turing model, of self-organizing systems. We used mouse genetics to analyze how digit patterning (an iterative digit/nondigit pattern) is generated. We showed that the progressive reduction in Hoxa13 and Hoxd11-Hoxd13 genes (hereafter referred to as distal Hox genes) from the Gli3-null background results in progressively more severe polydactyly, displaying thinner and densely packed digits. Combined with computer modeling, our results argue for a Turing-type mechanism underlying digit patterning, in which the dose of distal Hox genes modulates the digit period or wavelength. The phenotypic similarity with fish-fin endoskeleton patterns suggests that the pentadactyl state has been achieved through modification of an ancestral Turing-type mechanism.

Numerical digit

Turing

10.1126/science.1226804

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Citations (326)