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This document is an interview with Thomas Blake, the first author of a paper titled "Filopodial protrusion driven by density-dependent Ena-TOCA-1 interactions" published in the Journal of Cell Science. The paper explores the molecular mechanisms that drive cell motility in frog neurons during the development of the nervous system. The study shows that the protein TOCA-1 is directly involved in the extension of filopodia, which are dynamic finger-like structures made of actin filaments. The research also reveals that TOCA-1 works together with another protein called Ena to promote filopodia extension. The challenges of working with primary cells and the use of two-color imaging are discussed, as well as the author's role models in science and future research plans. [Extracted from the article]

Chlorine gas (Cl 2 ) has been repeatedly used as a chemical weapon, first in World War I and most recently in Syria. Life-threatening Cl 2 exposures frequently occur in domestic and occupational environments, and in transportation accidents. Modeling the human etiology of Cl 2 -induced acute lung injury (ALI), forensic biomarkers, and targeted countermeasures development have been hampered by inadequate large animal models. The objective of this study was to develop a translational model of Cl 2 -induced ALI in swine to understand toxico-pathophysiology and evaluate whether it is suitable for screening potential medical countermeasures and to identify biomarkers useful for forensic analysis. Specific pathogen-free Yorkshire swine (30-40 kg) of either sex were exposed to Cl 2 (≤240 ppm for 1 h) or filtered air under anesthesia and controlled mechanical ventilation. Exposure to Cl 2 resulted in severe hypoxia and hypoxemia, increased airway resistance and peak inspiratory pressure, and decreased dynamic lung compliance. Cl 2 exposure resulted in increased total leucocyte and neutrophil counts in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, vascular leakage, and pulmonary edema compared with the air-exposed group. The model recapitulated all three key histopathological features of human ALI, such as neutrophilic alveolitis, deposition of hyaline membranes, and formation of microthrombi. Free and lipid-bound 2-chlorofatty acids and chlorotyrosine-modified proteins (3-chloro-l-tyrosine and 3,5-dichloro-l-tyrosine) were detected in plasma and lung tissue after Cl 2 exposure. In this study, we developed a translational swine model that recapitulates key features of human Cl 2 inhalation injury and is suitable for testing medical countermeasures, and validated chlorinated fatty acids and protein adducts as biomarkers of Cl 2 inhalation. NEW & NOTEWORTHY We established a swine model of chlorine gas-induced acute lung injury that exhibits several features of human acute lung injury and is suitable for screening potential medical countermeasures. We validated chlorinated fatty acids and protein adducts in plasma and lung samples as forensic biomarkers of chlorine inhalation.