B. L. Pruitt

Cyclic stretch regulates epithelial cell migration in a frequency dependent manner via vinculin recruitment to cell-cell contacts

This study shows that cyclic stretch at lower frequencies inhibits epithelial cell migration by recruiting vinculin to cell-cell contacts.

Conserved basal lamina proteins, laminin and nidogen, are repurposed to organize mechanosensory complexes responsible for touch sensation.

This study shows that laminin and nidogen in the basal lamina form complexes with the MEC-4 channel to enable touch sensation in C. elegans.

Nucleation of the destruction complex on the centrosome accelerates degradation of β-catenin and regulates Wnt signal transmission

The paper shows that centrosome-nucleated biomolecular condensates of the Destruction Complex enhance β-catenin degradation and regulate Wnt signaling in human embryonic stem cells.

Independently paced calcium oscillations in progenitor and differentiated cells in an ex vivo epithelial organ

The paper examines calcium dynamics in different cell types of the Drosophila intestine, showing that calcium oscillations are independent between progenitor and differentiated cells.

Extracellular matrix micropatterning technology for whole cell cryogenic electron microscopy studies

This paper introduces a technology to study mesoscale organization in epithelial cells under morphological modulation using ECM micropatterning for cryogenic electron microscopy.

Tissue mechanics and somatosensory neural responses govern touch sensation in C. elegans

This study develops a quantitative model to explain touch sensation in C. elegans by integrating tissue mechanics and neural responses to indentation stimuli.

The Tactile Receptive Fields of Freely Moving Caenorhabditis elegans Nematodes

This paper develops an automated system to study touch responses in C. elegans and finds two distinct tactile receptive fields on the worm's body surface.

Controlling cell shape on hydrogels using lift-off patterning

This paper introduces a lift-off patterning method for ECM protein transfer on hydrogels, showing improved efficiency, accuracy, and consistency compared to microcontact printing.