51
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Nano-scale microfluidics to study 3D chemotaxis at the single cell level. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0198330. [PMID: 29879160 PMCID: PMC5991685 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0198330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2018] [Accepted: 05/17/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Directed migration of cells relies on their ability to sense directional guidance cues and to interact with pericellular structures in order to transduce contractile cytoskeletal- into mechanical forces. These biomechanical processes depend highly on microenvironmental factors such as exposure to 2D surfaces or 3D matrices. In vivo, the majority of cells are exposed to 3D environments. Data on 3D cell migration are mostly derived from intravital microscopy or collagen-based in vitro assays. Both approaches offer only limited controllability of experimental conditions. Here, we developed an automated microfluidic system that allows positioning of cells in 3D microenvironments containing highly controlled diffusion-based chemokine gradients. Tracking migration in such gradients was feasible in real time at the single cell level. Moreover, the setup allowed on-chip immunocytochemistry and thus linking of functional with phenotypical properties in individual cells. Spatially defined retrieval of cells from the device allows down-stream off-chip analysis. Using dendritic cells as a model, our setup specifically allowed us for the first time to quantitate key migration characteristics of cells exposed to identical gradients of the chemokine CCL19 yet placed on 2D vs in 3D environments. Migration properties between 2D and 3D migration were distinct. Morphological features of cells migrating in an in vitro 3D environment were similar to those of cells migrating in animal tissues, but different from cells migrating on a surface. Our system thus offers a highly controllable in vitro-mimic of a 3D environment that cells traffic in vivo.
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52
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Fabrication of Microfluidic Chip for Investigation of Wound Healing Processes. BIOCHIP JOURNAL 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s13206-017-2207-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
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53
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Moore JE, Brook BS, Nibbs RJB. Chemokine Transport Dynamics and Emerging Recognition of Their Role in Immune Function. CURRENT OPINION IN BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING 2018; 5:90-95. [PMID: 30320240 DOI: 10.1016/j.cobme.2018.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Leukocyte migration is critically important during all protective and pathological immune and inflammatory responses. Chemokines play fundamental roles in this process, and chemokine concentration gradients stimulate the directional migration of leukocytes. The formation and regulation of these gradients is poorly understood. These are complex processes that depend on the specific properties of each chemokine and interactions between physical, biological and biochemical processes, including production, diffusion, advection, scavenging, post-translational modification, and extracellular matrix (ECM) binding. While some of these mechanisms have been investigated in isolation or limited combinations, more integrative research is required to provide a quantitative knowledge base that explains how chemokine gradients are established and maintained, and how cells respond to, and modify, these gradients.
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Affiliation(s)
- James E Moore
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, Royal School of Mines Building, SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Bindi S Brook
- School of Mathematical Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, United Kingdom
| | - Robert J B Nibbs
- Institute of Infection, Immunity & Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8TA, United Kingdom
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54
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Shukla VC, Kuang TR, Senthilvelan A, Higuita-Castro N, Duarte-Sanmiguel S, Ghadiali SN, Gallego-Perez D. Lab-on-a-Chip Platforms for Biophysical Studies of Cancer with Single-Cell Resolution. Trends Biotechnol 2018; 36:549-561. [PMID: 29559164 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2018.02.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2017] [Revised: 02/15/2018] [Accepted: 02/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Recent cancer research has more strongly emphasized the biophysical aspects of tumor development, progression, and microenvironment. In addition to genetic modifications and mutations in cancer cells, it is now well accepted that the physical properties of cancer cells such as stiffness, electrical impedance, and refractive index vary with tumor progression and can identify a malignant phenotype. Moreover, cancer heterogeneity renders population-based characterization techniques inadequate, as individual cellular features are lost in the average. Hence, platforms for fast and accurate characterization of biophysical properties of cancer cells at the single-cell level are required. Here, we highlight some of the recent advances in the field of cancer biophysics and the development of lab-on-a-chip platforms for single-cell biophysical analyses of cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vasudha C Shukla
- Dorothy M. Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute, College of Medicine and Wexner Medical Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; These authors contributed equally to this work
| | - Tai-Rong Kuang
- The Key Laboratory of Polymer Processing Engineering of Ministry of Education, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, P.R. China; These authors contributed equally to this work.
| | - Abirami Senthilvelan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Natalia Higuita-Castro
- Department of Internal Medicine (Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine), Wexner Medical Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; Department of Surgery, Wexner Medical Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Silvia Duarte-Sanmiguel
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; Department of Human Sciences (Human Nutrition), College of Human Ecology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Samir N Ghadiali
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; Department of Internal Medicine (Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine), Wexner Medical Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Daniel Gallego-Perez
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; Department of Surgery, Wexner Medical Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
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55
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Boneschansker L, Jorgensen J, Ellett F, Briscoe DM, Irimia D. Convergent and Divergent Migratory Patterns of Human Neutrophils inside Microfluidic Mazes. Sci Rep 2018; 8:1887. [PMID: 29382882 PMCID: PMC5789854 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-20060-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2017] [Accepted: 12/19/2017] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Neutrophils are key cellular components of the innate immune response and characteristically migrate from the blood towards and throughout tissues. Their migratory process is complex, guided by multiple chemoattractants released from injured tissues and microbes. How neutrophils integrate the various signals in the tissue microenvironment and mount effective responses is not fully understood. Here, we employed microfluidic mazes that replicate features of interstitial spaces and chemoattractant gradients within tissues to analyze the migration patterns of human neutrophils. We find that neutrophils respond to LTB4 and fMLF gradients with highly directional migration patterns and converge towards the source of chemoattractant. We named this directed migration pattern convergent. Moreover, neutrophils respond to gradients of C5a and IL-8 with a low-directionality migration pattern and disperse within mazes. We named this alternative migration pattern divergent. Inhibitors of MAP kinase and PI-3 kinase signaling pathways do not alter either convergent or divergent migration patterns, but reduce the number of responding neutrophils. Overlapping gradients of chemoattractants conserve the convergent and divergent migration patterns corresponding to each chemoattractant and have additive effects on the number of neutrophils migrating. These results suggest that convergent and divergent neutrophil migration-patterns are the result of simultaneous activation of multiple signaling pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leo Boneschansker
- BioMEMS Resource Center, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Shriners Hospitals for Children, Boston, MA, USA.,Transplant Research Program and The Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Julianne Jorgensen
- BioMEMS Resource Center, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Shriners Hospitals for Children, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Felix Ellett
- BioMEMS Resource Center, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Shriners Hospitals for Children, Boston, MA, USA
| | - David M Briscoe
- Transplant Research Program and The Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Daniel Irimia
- BioMEMS Resource Center, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Shriners Hospitals for Children, Boston, MA, USA.
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56
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Abstract
In multicellular organisms, cell migration is a complex process. Examples of this are observed during cell motility in the interstitial space, full of extracellular matrix fibers, or when cells pass through endothelial layers to colonize or exit specific tissues. A common parameter for both situations is the fast adaptation of the cellular shape to their irregular landscape. In this chapter, we describe two methods to study cell migration in complex environments. The first one consists in a multichamber device for the visualization of cell haptotaxis toward the collagen-binding chemokine CCL21. This method is used to study cell migration as well as deformations during directed motility, as in the interstitial space. The second one consists in microfabricated channels connected to small constrictions. This procedure allows the study of cell deformations when single cells migrate through small holes and it is analogous to passage of cells through endothelial layers, resulting in a simplified system to study the mechanisms operating during transvasation. Both methods combined provide a powerful hub for the study of cell plasticity during migration in complex environments.
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57
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Um E, Oh JM, Granick S, Cho YK. Cell migration in microengineered tumor environments. LAB ON A CHIP 2017; 17:4171-4185. [PMID: 28971203 DOI: 10.1039/c7lc00555e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Recent advances in microengineered cell migration platforms are discussed critically with a focus on how cell migration is influenced by engineered tumor microenvironments, the medical relevance being to understand how tumor microenvironments may promote or suppress the progression of cancer. We first introduce key findings in cancer cell migration under the influence of the physical environment, which is systematically controlled by microengineering technology, followed by multi-cues of physico-chemical factors, which represent the complexity of the tumor environment. Recognizing that cancer cells constantly communicate not only with each other but also with tumor-associated cells such as vascular, fibroblast, and immune cells, and also with non-cellular components, it follows that cell motility in tumor microenvironments, especially metastasis via the invasion of cancer cells into the extracellular matrix and other tissues, is closely related to the malignancy of cancer-related mortality. Medical relevance of forefront research realized in microfabricated devices, such as single cell sorting based on the analysis of cell migration behavior, may assist personalized theragnostics based on the cell migration phenotype. Furthermore, we urge development of theory and numerical understanding of single or collective cell migration in microengineered platforms to gain new insights in cancer metastasis and in therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eujin Um
- Center for Soft and Living Matter, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Ulsan 44919, Republic of Korea
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58
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Glycosaminoglycan Interactions with Chemokines Add Complexity to a Complex System. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2017; 10:ph10030070. [PMID: 28792472 PMCID: PMC5620614 DOI: 10.3390/ph10030070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2017] [Revised: 07/24/2017] [Accepted: 07/24/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Chemokines have two types of interactions that function cooperatively to control cell migration. Chemokine receptors on migrating cells integrate signals initiated upon chemokine binding to promote cell movement. Interactions with glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) localize chemokines on and near cell surfaces and the extracellular matrix to provide direction to the cell movement. The matrix of interacting chemokine–receptor partners has been known for some time, precise signaling and trafficking properties of many chemokine–receptor pairs have been characterized, and recent structural information has revealed atomic level detail on chemokine–receptor recognition and activation. However, precise knowledge of the interactions of chemokines with GAGs has lagged far behind such that a single paradigm of GAG presentation on surfaces is generally applied to all chemokines. This review summarizes accumulating evidence which suggests that there is a great deal of diversity and specificity in these interactions, that GAG interactions help fine-tune the function of chemokines, and that GAGs have other roles in chemokine biology beyond localization and surface presentation. This suggests that chemokine–GAG interactions add complexity to the already complex functions of the receptors and ligands.
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59
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Roy J, Mazzaferri J, Filep JG, Costantino S. A Haptotaxis Assay for Neutrophils using Optical Patterning and a High-content Approach. Sci Rep 2017; 7:2869. [PMID: 28588217 PMCID: PMC5460230 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-02993-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2016] [Accepted: 04/21/2017] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Neutrophil recruitment guided by chemotactic cues is a central event in host defense against infection and tissue injury. While the mechanisms underlying neutrophil chemotaxis have been extensively studied, these are just recently being addressed by using high-content approaches or surface-bound chemotactic gradients (haptotaxis) in vitro. Here, we report a haptotaxis assay, based on the classic under-agarose assay, which combines an optical patterning technique to generate surface-bound formyl peptide gradients as well as an automated imaging and analysis of a large number of migration trajectories. We show that human neutrophils migrate on covalently-bound formyl-peptide gradients, which influence the speed and frequency of neutrophil penetration under the agarose. Analysis revealed that neutrophils migrating on surface-bound patterns accumulate in the region of the highest peptide concentration, thereby mimicking in vivo events. We propose the use of a chemotactic precision index, gyration tensors and neutrophil penetration rate for characterizing haptotaxis. This high-content assay provides a simple approach that can be applied for studying molecular mechanisms underlying haptotaxis on user-defined gradient shape.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joannie Roy
- Research Center, Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,Biomedical Engineering Institute, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Javier Mazzaferri
- Research Center, Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - János G Filep
- Research Center, Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Santiago Costantino
- Research Center, Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. .,Biomedical Engineering Institute, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. .,Department of Ophthalmology, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
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60
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Schwarz J, Bierbaum V, Vaahtomeri K, Hauschild R, Brown M, de Vries I, Leithner A, Reversat A, Merrin J, Tarrant T, Bollenbach T, Sixt M. Dendritic Cells Interpret Haptotactic Chemokine Gradients in a Manner Governed by Signal-to-Noise Ratio and Dependent on GRK6. Curr Biol 2017; 27:1314-1325. [PMID: 28457871 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2017.04.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2016] [Revised: 03/29/2017] [Accepted: 04/05/2017] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Navigation of cells along gradients of guidance cues is a determining step in many developmental and immunological processes. Gradients can either be soluble or immobilized to tissues as demonstrated for the haptotactic migration of dendritic cells (DCs) toward higher concentrations of immobilized chemokine CCL21. To elucidate how gradient characteristics govern cellular response patterns, we here introduce an in vitro system allowing to track migratory responses of DCs to precisely controlled immobilized gradients of CCL21. We find that haptotactic sensing depends on the absolute CCL21 concentration and local steepness of the gradient, consistent with a scenario where DC directionality is governed by the signal-to-noise ratio of CCL21 binding to the receptor CCR7. We find that the conditions for optimal DC guidance are perfectly provided by the CCL21 gradients we measure in vivo. Furthermore, we find that CCR7 signal termination by the G-protein-coupled receptor kinase 6 (GRK6) is crucial for haptotactic but dispensable for chemotactic CCL21 gradient sensing in vitro and confirm those observations in vivo. These findings suggest that stable, tissue-bound CCL21 gradients as sustainable "roads" ensure optimal guidance in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Schwarz
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria (IST Austria), 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria
| | - Veronika Bierbaum
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria (IST Austria), 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria
| | - Kari Vaahtomeri
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria (IST Austria), 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria; Translational Cancer Biology Program, Wihuri Research Institute, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Robert Hauschild
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria (IST Austria), 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria
| | - Markus Brown
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria (IST Austria), 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria; Medizinische Universität Wien, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Ingrid de Vries
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria (IST Austria), 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria
| | - Alexander Leithner
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria (IST Austria), 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria
| | - Anne Reversat
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria (IST Austria), 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria
| | - Jack Merrin
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria (IST Austria), 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria
| | - Teresa Tarrant
- Thurston Arthritis Research Center, Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology, Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27517, USA
| | - Tobias Bollenbach
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria (IST Austria), 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria; Universität zu Köln, Institut für Theoretische Physik, 50937 Cologne, Germany.
| | - Michael Sixt
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria (IST Austria), 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria.
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