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Goren S, Ergaz B, Barak D, Sorkin R, Lesman A. Micro-tensile rheology of fibrous gels quantifies strain-dependent anisotropy. Acta Biomater 2024; 181:272-281. [PMID: 38685460 DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2024.03.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2023] [Revised: 03/03/2024] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
Semiflexible fiber gels such as collagen and fibrin have unique nonlinear mechanical properties that play an important role in tissue morphogenesis, wound healing, and cancer metastasis. Optical tweezers microrheology has greatly contributed to the understanding of the mechanics of fibrous gels at the microscale, including its heterogeneity and anisotropy. However, the explicit relationship between micromechanical properties and gel deformation has been largely overlooked. We introduce a unique gel-stretching apparatus and employ it to study the relationship between microscale strain and stiffening in fibrin and collagen gels, focusing on the development of anisotropy in the gel. We find that gels stretched by as much as 15 % stiffen significantly both in parallel and perpendicular to the stretching axis, and that the parallel axis is 2-3 times stiffer than the transverse axis. We also measure the stiffening and anisotropy along bands of aligned fibers created by aggregates of cancer cells, and find similar effects as in gels stretched with the tensile apparatus. Our results illustrate that the extracellular microenvironment is highly sensitive to deformation, with implications for tissue homeostasis and pathology. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: The inherent fibrous architecture of the extracellular matrix (ECM) gives rise to unique strain-stiffening mechanics. The micromechanics of fibrous networks has been studied extensively, but the deformations involved in its stiffening at the microscale were not quantified. Here we introduce an apparatus that enables measuring the deformations in the gel as it is being stretched while simultaneously using optical tweezers to measure its microscale anisotropic stiffness. We reveal that fibrin and collagen both stiffen dramatically already at ∼10 % deformation, accompanied by the emergence of significant, yet moderate anisotropy. We measure similar stiffening and anisotropy in the matrix remodeled by the tensile apparatus to those found between cancer cell aggregates. Our results emphasize that small strains are enough to introduce substantial stiffening and anisotropy. These have been shown to result in directional cell migration and enhanced force propagation, and possibly control processes like morphogenesis and cancer metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shahar Goren
- School of Chemistry, Raymond & Beverly Sackler Faculty of Exact Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Israel; School of Mechanical Engineering, the Iby and Aladar Fleischman Faculty of Engineering, Tel Aviv University, Israel; Center for Physics and Chemistry of Living Systems, Tel Aviv University, Israel
| | - Bar Ergaz
- School of Mechanical Engineering, the Iby and Aladar Fleischman Faculty of Engineering, Tel Aviv University, Israel; Center for Physics and Chemistry of Living Systems, Tel Aviv University, Israel
| | - Daniel Barak
- School of Mechanical Engineering, the Iby and Aladar Fleischman Faculty of Engineering, Tel Aviv University, Israel
| | - Raya Sorkin
- School of Chemistry, Raymond & Beverly Sackler Faculty of Exact Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Israel; Center for Physics and Chemistry of Living Systems, Tel Aviv University, Israel.
| | - Ayelet Lesman
- School of Mechanical Engineering, the Iby and Aladar Fleischman Faculty of Engineering, Tel Aviv University, Israel; Center for Physics and Chemistry of Living Systems, Tel Aviv University, Israel.
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2
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Jorba I, Gussenhoven S, van der Pol A, Groenen BG, van Zon M, Goumans MJ, Kurniawan NA, Ristori T, Bouten CV. Steering cell orientation through light-based spatiotemporal modulation of the mechanical environment. Biofabrication 2024; 16:035011. [PMID: 38574554 DOI: 10.1088/1758-5090/ad3aa6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024]
Abstract
The anisotropic organization of cells and the extracellular matrix (ECM) is essential for the physiological function of numerous biological tissues, including the myocardium. This organization changes gradually in space and time, during disease progression such as myocardial infarction. The role of mechanical stimuli has been demonstrated to be essential in obtaining, maintaining and de-railing this organization, but the underlying mechanisms are scarcely known. To enable the study of the mechanobiological mechanisms involved,in vitrotechniques able to spatiotemporally control the multiscale tissue mechanical environment are thus necessary. Here, by using light-sensitive materials combined with light-illumination techniques, we fabricated 2D and 3Din vitromodel systems exposing cells to multiscale, spatiotemporally resolved stiffness anisotropies. Specifically, spatial stiffness anisotropies spanning from micron-sized (cellular) to millimeter-sized (tissue) were achieved. Moreover, the light-sensitive materials allowed to introduce the stiffness anisotropies at defined timepoints (hours) after cell seeding, facilitating the study of their temporal effects on cell and tissue orientation. The systems were tested using cardiac fibroblasts (cFBs), which are known to be crucial for the remodeling of anisotropic cardiac tissue. We observed that 2D stiffness micropatterns induced cFBs anisotropic alignment, independent of the stimulus timing, but dependent on the micropattern spacing. cFBs exhibited organized alignment also in response to 3D stiffness macropatterns, dependent on the stimulus timing and temporally followed by (slower) ECM co-alignment. In conclusion, the developed model systems allow improved fundamental understanding of the underlying mechanobiological factors that steer cell and ECM orientation, such as stiffness guidance and boundary constraints.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ignasi Jorba
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems (ICMS), PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
- Unitat de Biofísica i Bioenginyeria, Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut, Universitat de Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sil Gussenhoven
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Atze van der Pol
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems (ICMS), PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Bart Gw Groenen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems (ICMS), PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Maarten van Zon
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Marie José Goumans
- Department of Cell and Chemical Biology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Nicholas A Kurniawan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems (ICMS), PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Tommaso Ristori
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems (ICMS), PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Carlijn Vc Bouten
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems (ICMS), PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
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Ergaz B, Goren S, Lesman A. Micropatterning the organization of multicellular structures in 3D biological hydrogels; insights into collective cellular mechanical interactions. Biofabrication 2023; 16:015012. [PMID: 37906963 DOI: 10.1088/1758-5090/ad0849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023]
Abstract
Control over the organization of cells at the microscale level within supporting biomaterials can push forward the construction of complex tissue architectures for tissue engineering applications and enable fundamental studies of how tissue structure relates to its function. While cells patterning on 2D substrates is a relatively established and available procedure, micropatterning cells in biomimetic 3D hydrogels has been more challenging, especially with micro-scale resolution, and currently relies on sophisticated tools and protocols. We present a robust and accessible 'peel-off' method to micropattern large arrays of individual cells or cell-clusters of precise sizes in biological 3D hydrogels, such as fibrin and collagen gels, with control over cell-cell separation distance and neighboring cells position. We further demonstrate partial control over cell position in thez-dimension by stacking two layers in varying distances between the layers. To demonstrate the potential of the micropatterning gel platform, we study the matrix-mediated mechanical interaction between array of cells that are accurately separated in defined distances. A collective process of intense cell-generated densified bands emerging in the gel between near neighbors was identified, along which cells preferentially migrate, a process relevant to tissue morphogenesis. The presented 3D gel micropatterning method can be used to reveal fundamental morphogenetic processes, and to reconstruct any tissue geometry with micrometer resolution in 3D biomimetic gel environments, leveraging the engineering of tissues in complex architectures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bar Ergaz
- School of Mechanical Engineering, The Iby and Aladar Fleischman Faculty of Engineering, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Shahar Goren
- School of Chemistry, Raymond & Beverly Sackler Faculty of Exact Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
- Center for Chemistry and Physics of Living Systems, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Ayelet Lesman
- School of Mechanical Engineering, The Iby and Aladar Fleischman Faculty of Engineering, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
- Center for Chemistry and Physics of Living Systems, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
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4
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Li Z, Xue L, Wang P, Ren X, Zhang Y, Wang C, Sun J. Biological Scaffolds Assembled with Magnetic Nanoparticles for Bone Tissue Engineering: A Review. MATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 16:1429. [PMID: 36837058 PMCID: PMC9961196 DOI: 10.3390/ma16041429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Revised: 01/02/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPION) are widely used in bone tissue engineering because of their unique physical and chemical properties and their excellent biocompatibility. Under the action of a magnetic field, SPIONs loaded in a biological scaffold can effectively promote osteoblast proliferation, differentiation, angiogenesis, and so on. SPIONs have very broad application prospects in bone repair, bone reconstruction, bone regeneration, and other fields. In this paper, several methods for forming biological scaffolds via the biological assembly of SPIONs are reviewed, and the specific applications of these biological scaffolds in bone tissue engineering are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zheng Li
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Biomaterials and Devices, School of Bioscience and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Le Xue
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Biomaterials and Devices, School of Bioscience and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Peng Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Biomaterials and Devices, School of Bioscience and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Xueqian Ren
- Clinical Medical Engineering Department, The Affiliated Zhongda Hospital of Southeast University Medical School, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Yunyang Zhang
- Center of Modern Analysis, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210000, China
| | - Chuan Wang
- Naval Medical Center of PLA, Naval Medical University (Second Military Medical University), Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Jianfei Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Biomaterials and Devices, School of Bioscience and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China
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5
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Kolel A, Ergaz B, Goren S, Tchaicheeyan O, Lesman A. Strain Gradient Programming in 3D Fibrous Hydrogels to Direct Graded Cell Alignment. SMALL METHODS 2023; 7:e2201070. [PMID: 36408763 DOI: 10.1002/smtd.202201070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Biological tissues experience various stretch gradients which act as mechanical signaling from the extracellular environment to cells. These mechanical stimuli are sensed by cells, triggering essential signaling cascades regulating cell migration, differentiation, and tissue remodeling. In most previous studies, a simple, uniform stretch to 2D elastic substrates has been applied to analyze the response of living cells. However, induction of nonuniform strains in controlled gradients, particularly in biomimetic 3D hydrogels, has proven challenging. In this study, 3D fibrin hydrogels of manipulated geometry are stretched by a silicone carrier to impose programmable strain gradients along different chosen axes. The resulting strain gradients are analyzed and compared to finite element simulations. Experimentally, the programmed strain gradients result in similar gradient patterns in fiber alignment within the gels. Additionally, temporal changes in the orientation of fibroblast cells embedded in the stretched fibrin gels correlate to the strain and fiber alignment gradients. The experimental and simulation data demonstrate the ability to custom-design mechanical gradients in 3D biological hydrogels and to control cell alignment patterns. It provides a new technology for mechanobiology and tissue engineering studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Avraham Kolel
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, 69978, Israel
| | - Bar Ergaz
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, 69978, Israel
| | - Shahar Goren
- School of Chemistry, Raymond & Beverly Sackler Faculty of Exact Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, 69978, Israel
| | - Oren Tchaicheeyan
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, 69978, Israel
| | - Ayelet Lesman
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, 69978, Israel
- Center for Physics and Chemistry of Living Systems, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, 69978, Israel
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6
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Cell mediated remodeling of stiffness matched collagen and fibrin scaffolds. Sci Rep 2022; 12:11736. [PMID: 35817812 PMCID: PMC9273755 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-14953-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2022] [Accepted: 06/15/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Cells are known to continuously remodel their local extracellular matrix (ECM) and in a reciprocal way, they can also respond to mechanical and biochemical properties of their fibrous environment. In this study, we measured how stiffness around dermal fibroblasts (DFs) and human fibrosarcoma HT1080 cells differs with concentration of rat tail type 1 collagen (T1C) and type of ECM. Peri-cellular stiffness was probed in four directions using multi-axes optical tweezers active microrheology (AMR). First, we found that neither cell type significantly altered local stiffness landscape at different concentrations of T1C. Next, rat tail T1C, bovine skin T1C and fibrin cell-free hydrogels were polymerized at concentrations formulated to match median stiffness value. Each of these hydrogels exhibited distinct fiber architecture. Stiffness landscape and fibronectin secretion, but not nuclear/cytoplasmic YAP ratio differed with ECM type. Further, cell response to Y27632 or BB94 treatments, inhibiting cell contractility and activity of matrix metalloproteinases, respectively, was also dependent on ECM type. Given differential effect of tested ECMs on peri-cellular stiffness landscape, treatment effect and cell properties, this study underscores the need for peri-cellular and not bulk stiffness measurements in studies on cellular mechanotransduction.
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7
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Chalard AE, Dixon AW, Taberner AJ, Malmström J. Visible-Light Stiffness Patterning of GelMA Hydrogels Towards In Vitro Scar Tissue Models. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:946754. [PMID: 35865624 PMCID: PMC9294371 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.946754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Variations in mechanical properties of the extracellular matrix occurs in various processes, such as tissue fibrosis. The impact of changes in tissue stiffness on cell behaviour are studied in vitro using various types of biomaterials and methods. Stiffness patterning of hydrogel scaffolds, through the use of stiffness gradients for instance, allows the modelling and studying of cellular responses to fibrotic mechanisms. Gelatine methacryloyl (GelMA) has been used extensively in tissue engineering for its inherent biocompatibility and the ability to precisely tune its mechanical properties. Visible light is now increasingly employed for crosslinking GelMA hydrogels as it enables improved cell survival when performing cell encapsulation. We report here, the photopatterning of mechanical properties of GelMA hydrogels with visible light and eosin Y as the photoinitiator using physical photomasks and projection with a digital micromirror device. Using both methods, binary hydrogels with areas of different stiffnesses and hydrogels with stiffness gradients were fabricated. Their mechanical properties were characterised using force indentation with atomic force microscopy, which showed the efficiency of both methods to spatially pattern the elastic modulus of GelMA according to the photomask or the projected pattern. Crosslinking through projection was also used to build constructs with complex shapes. Overall, this work shows the feasibility of patterning the stiffness of GelMA scaffolds, in the range from healthy to pathological stiffness, with visible light. Consequently, this method could be used to build in vitro models of healthy and fibrotic tissue and study the cellular behaviours involved at the interface between the two.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anaïs E. Chalard
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
- The MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, Wellington, New Zealand
- *Correspondence: Anaïs E. Chalard, ; Jenny Malmström,
| | - Alexander W. Dixon
- The Auckland Bioengineering Institute (ABI), The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Andrew J. Taberner
- The Auckland Bioengineering Institute (ABI), The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
- Department of Engineering Science, Faculty of Engineering, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Jenny Malmström
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
- The MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, Wellington, New Zealand
- *Correspondence: Anaïs E. Chalard, ; Jenny Malmström,
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8
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Zhou H, Wang M, Zhang Y, Su Q, Xie Z, Chen X, Yan R, Li P, Li T, Qin X, Yang H, Wu C, You F, Li S, Liu Y. Functions and clinical significance of mechanical tumor microenvironment: cancer cell sensing, mechanobiology and metastasis. Cancer Commun (Lond) 2022; 42:374-400. [PMID: 35470988 PMCID: PMC9118059 DOI: 10.1002/cac2.12294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2022] [Revised: 03/16/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Dynamic and heterogeneous interaction between tumor cells and the surrounding microenvironment fuels the occurrence, progression, invasion, and metastasis of solid tumors. In this process, the tumor microenvironment (TME) fractures cellular and matrix architecture normality through biochemical and mechanical means, abetting tumorigenesis and treatment resistance. Tumor cells sense and respond to the strength, direction, and duration of mechanical cues in the TME by various mechanotransduction pathways. However, far less understood is the comprehensive perspective of the functions and mechanisms of mechanotransduction. Due to the great therapeutic difficulties brought by the mechanical changes in the TME, emerging studies have focused on targeting the adverse mechanical factors in the TME to attenuate disease rather than conventionally targeting tumor cells themselves, which has been proven to be a potential therapeutic approach. In this review, we discussed the origins and roles of mechanical factors in the TME, cell sensing, mechano‐biological coupling and signal transduction, in vitro construction of the tumor mechanical microenvironment, applications and clinical significance in the TME.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanying Zhou
- Department of Biophysics, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610054, P. R. China
| | - Meng Wang
- Department of Biophysics, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610054, P. R. China
| | - Yixi Zhang
- Department of Biophysics, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610054, P. R. China
| | - Qingqing Su
- Department of Biophysics, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610054, P. R. China
| | - Zhengxin Xie
- Department of Biophysics, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610054, P. R. China
| | - Xiangyan Chen
- Department of Biophysics, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610054, P. R. China
| | - Ran Yan
- Department of Biophysics, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610054, P. R. China.,Traditional Chinese Medicine Regulating Metabolic Diseases Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610072, P. R. China
| | - Ping Li
- Department of Biophysics, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610054, P. R. China
| | - Tingting Li
- Department of Biophysics, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610054, P. R. China
| | - Xiang Qin
- Department of Biophysics, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610054, P. R. China
| | - Hong Yang
- Department of Biophysics, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610054, P. R. China
| | - Chunhui Wu
- Department of Biophysics, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610054, P. R. China
| | - Fengming You
- Traditional Chinese Medicine Regulating Metabolic Diseases Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610072, P. R. China
| | - Shun Li
- Department of Biophysics, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610054, P. R. China
| | - Yiyao Liu
- Department of Biophysics, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610054, P. R. China.,Traditional Chinese Medicine Regulating Metabolic Diseases Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610072, P. R. China
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9
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Mgharbel A, Migdal C, Bouchonville N, Dupenloup P, Fuard D, Lopez-Soler E, Tomba C, Courçon M, Gulino-Debrac D, Delanoë-Ayari H, Nicolas A. Cells on Hydrogels with Micron-Scaled Stiffness Patterns Demonstrate Local Stiffness Sensing. NANOMATERIALS 2022; 12:nano12040648. [PMID: 35214978 PMCID: PMC8880377 DOI: 10.3390/nano12040648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2022] [Revised: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Cell rigidity sensing-a basic cellular process allowing cells to adapt to mechanical cues-involves cell capabilities exerting force on the extracellular environment. In vivo, cells are exposed to multi-scaled heterogeneities in the mechanical properties of the surroundings. Here, we investigate whether cells are able to sense micron-scaled stiffness textures by measuring the forces they transmit to the extracellular matrix. To this end, we propose an efficient photochemistry of polyacrylamide hydrogels to design micron-scale stiffness patterns with kPa/µm gradients. Additionally, we propose an original protocol for the surface coating of adhesion proteins, which allows tuning the surface density from fully coupled to fully independent of the stiffness pattern. This evidences that cells pull on their surroundings by adjusting the level of stress to the micron-scaled stiffness. This conclusion was achieved through improvements in the traction force microscopy technique, e.g., adapting to substrates with a non-uniform stiffness and achieving a submicron resolution thanks to the implementation of a pyramidal optical flow algorithm. These developments provide tools for enhancing the current understanding of the contribution of stiffness alterations in many pathologies, including cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abbas Mgharbel
- University Grenoble Alps, CNRS, LTM, 38000 Grenoble, France; (A.M.); (C.M.); (N.B.); (P.D.); (D.F.); (E.L.-S.); (C.T.)
- University Grenoble Alps, CEA, CNRS, Inserm, BIG-BCI, 38000 Grenoble, France; (M.C.); (D.G.-D.)
| | - Camille Migdal
- University Grenoble Alps, CNRS, LTM, 38000 Grenoble, France; (A.M.); (C.M.); (N.B.); (P.D.); (D.F.); (E.L.-S.); (C.T.)
- University Grenoble Alps, CEA, CNRS, Inserm, BIG-BCI, 38000 Grenoble, France; (M.C.); (D.G.-D.)
| | - Nicolas Bouchonville
- University Grenoble Alps, CNRS, LTM, 38000 Grenoble, France; (A.M.); (C.M.); (N.B.); (P.D.); (D.F.); (E.L.-S.); (C.T.)
| | - Paul Dupenloup
- University Grenoble Alps, CNRS, LTM, 38000 Grenoble, France; (A.M.); (C.M.); (N.B.); (P.D.); (D.F.); (E.L.-S.); (C.T.)
| | - David Fuard
- University Grenoble Alps, CNRS, LTM, 38000 Grenoble, France; (A.M.); (C.M.); (N.B.); (P.D.); (D.F.); (E.L.-S.); (C.T.)
| | - Eline Lopez-Soler
- University Grenoble Alps, CNRS, LTM, 38000 Grenoble, France; (A.M.); (C.M.); (N.B.); (P.D.); (D.F.); (E.L.-S.); (C.T.)
- University Grenoble Alps, CEA, CNRS, Inserm, BIG-BCI, 38000 Grenoble, France; (M.C.); (D.G.-D.)
| | - Caterina Tomba
- University Grenoble Alps, CNRS, LTM, 38000 Grenoble, France; (A.M.); (C.M.); (N.B.); (P.D.); (D.F.); (E.L.-S.); (C.T.)
- University Grenoble Alps, CNRS, Grenoble INP, Institut Néel, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Marie Courçon
- University Grenoble Alps, CEA, CNRS, Inserm, BIG-BCI, 38000 Grenoble, France; (M.C.); (D.G.-D.)
| | - Danielle Gulino-Debrac
- University Grenoble Alps, CEA, CNRS, Inserm, BIG-BCI, 38000 Grenoble, France; (M.C.); (D.G.-D.)
| | - Héléne Delanoë-Ayari
- Université de Lyon, University Claude Bernard Lyon1, CNRS, Institut Lumière Matière, 69622 Villeurbanne, France;
| | - Alice Nicolas
- University Grenoble Alps, CNRS, LTM, 38000 Grenoble, France; (A.M.); (C.M.); (N.B.); (P.D.); (D.F.); (E.L.-S.); (C.T.)
- Correspondence:
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