Issue 13, 2014

Defined topologically-complex protein matrices to manipulate cell shape via three-dimensional fiber-like patterns

Abstract

Culturing cells in three-dimensional (3D) environments has been shown to significantly influence cell function, and may provide a more physiologically relevant environment within which to study the behavior of specific cell types. 3D tissues typically present a topologically complex fibrous adhesive environment, which is technically challenging to replicate in a controlled manner. Micropatterning technologies have provided significant insights into cell-biomaterial interactions, and can be used to create fiber-like adhesive structures, but are typically limited to flat culture systems; the methods are difficult to apply to topologically-complex surfaces. In this work, we utilize crack formation in multilayered microfabricated materials under applied strain to rapidly generate well-controlled and topologically complex ‘fiber-like’ adhesive protein patterns, capable of supporting cell culture and controlling cell shape on three-dimensional patterns. We first demonstrate that the features of the generated adhesive environments such as width, spacing and topology can be controlled, and that these factors influence cell morphology. The patterning technique is then applied to examine the influence of fiber structure on the nuclear morphology and actin cytoskeletal structure of cells cultured in a nanofibrous biomaterial matrix.

Graphical abstract: Defined topologically-complex protein matrices to manipulate cell shape via three-dimensional fiber-like patterns

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
27 Janv. 2014
Accepted
26 Febr. 2014
First published
26 Febr. 2014
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Lab Chip, 2014,14, 2191-2201

Author version available

Defined topologically-complex protein matrices to manipulate cell shape via three-dimensional fiber-like patterns

C. Moraes, B. C. Kim, X. Zhu, K. L. Mills, A. R. Dixon, M. D. Thouless and S. Takayama, Lab Chip, 2014, 14, 2191 DOI: 10.1039/C4LC00122B

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications, without requesting further permission from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given and it is not used for commercial purposes.

To request permission to reproduce material from this article in a commercial publication, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party commercial publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements