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Buskermolen AB, Ristori T, Mostert D, van Turnhout MC, Shishvan SS, Loerakker S, Kurniawan NA, Deshpande VS, Bouten CV. Cellular Contact Guidance Emerges from Gap Avoidance. CELL REPORTS. PHYSICAL SCIENCE 2020; 1:100055. [PMID: 32685934 PMCID: PMC7357833 DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrp.2020.100055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2019] [Revised: 02/28/2020] [Accepted: 03/20/2020] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
In the presence of anisotropic biochemical or topographical patterns, cells tend to align in the direction of these cues-a widely reported phenomenon known as "contact guidance." To investigate the origins of contact guidance, here, we created substrates micropatterned with parallel lines of fibronectin with dimensions spanning multiple orders of magnitude. Quantitative morphometric analysis of our experimental data reveals two regimes of contact guidance governed by the length scale of the cues that cannot be explained by enforced alignment of focal adhesions. Adopting computational simulations of cell remodeling on inhomogeneous substrates based on a statistical mechanics framework for living cells, we show that contact guidance emerges from anisotropic cell shape fluctuation and "gap avoidance," i.e., the energetic penalty of cell adhesions on non-adhesive gaps. Our findings therefore point to general biophysical mechanisms underlying cellular contact guidance, without the necessity of invoking specific molecular pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonetta B.C. Buskermolen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, the Netherlands
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, the Netherlands
| | - Tommaso Ristori
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, the Netherlands
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, the Netherlands
| | - Dylan Mostert
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, the Netherlands
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, the Netherlands
| | - Mark C. van Turnhout
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, the Netherlands
| | - Siamak S. Shishvan
- Department of Structural Engineering, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Sandra Loerakker
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, the Netherlands
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, the Netherlands
| | - Nicholas A. Kurniawan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, the Netherlands
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, the Netherlands
- Corresponding author
| | - Vikram S. Deshpande
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Carlijn V.C. Bouten
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, the Netherlands
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, the Netherlands
- Corresponding author
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Lejeune E, Javili A, Weickenmeier J, Kuhl E, Linder C. Tri-layer wrinkling as a mechanism for anchoring center initiation in the developing cerebellum. SOFT MATTER 2016; 12:5613-5620. [PMID: 27252048 DOI: 10.1039/c6sm00526h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
During cerebellar development, anchoring centers form at the base of each fissure and remain fixed in place while the rest of the cerebellum grows outward. Cerebellar foliation has been extensively studied; yet, the mechanisms that control anchoring center initiation and position remain insufficiently understood. Here we show that a tri-layer model can predict surface wrinkling as a potential mechanism to explain anchoring center initiation and position. Motivated by the cerebellar microstructure, we model the developing cerebellum as a tri-layer system with an external molecular layer and an internal granular layer of similar stiffness and a significantly softer intermediate Purkinje cell layer. Including a weak intermediate layer proves key to predicting surface morphogenesis, even at low stiffness contrasts between the top and bottom layers. The proposed tri-layer model provides insight into the hierarchical formation of anchoring centers and establishes an essential missing link between gene expression and evolution of shape.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma Lejeune
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
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Wanjare M, Agarwal N, Gerecht S. Biomechanical strain induces elastin and collagen production in human pluripotent stem cell-derived vascular smooth muscle cells. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 2015; 309:C271-81. [PMID: 26108668 DOI: 10.1152/ajpcell.00366.2014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2014] [Accepted: 06/22/2015] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Blood vessels are subjected to numerous biomechanical forces that work harmoniously but, when unbalanced because of vascular smooth muscle cell (vSMC) dysfunction, can trigger a wide range of ailments such as cerebrovascular, peripheral artery, and coronary artery diseases. Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) serve as useful therapeutic tools that may help provide insight on the effect that such biomechanical stimuli have on vSMC function and differentiation. In this study, we aimed to examine the effect of biomechanical strain on vSMCs derived from hPSCs. The effects of two types of tensile strain on hPSC-vSMC derivatives at different stages of differentiation were examined. The derivatives included smooth muscle-like cells (SMLCs), mature SMLCs, and contractile vSMCs. All vSMC derivatives aligned perpendicularly to the direction of cyclic uniaxial strain. Serum deprivation and short-term uniaxial strain had a synergistic effect in enhancing collagen type I, fibronectin, and elastin gene expression. Furthermore, long-term uniaxial strain deterred collagen type III gene expression, whereas long-term circumferential strain upregulated both collagen type III and elastin gene expression. Finally, long-term uniaxial strain downregulated extracellular matrix (ECM) expression in more mature vSMC derivatives while upregulating elastin in less mature vSMC derivatives. Overall, our findings suggest that in vitro application of both cyclic uniaxial and circumferential tensile strain on hPSC-vSMC derivatives induces cell alignment and affects ECM gene expression. Therefore, mechanical stimulation of hPSC-vSMC derivatives using tensile strain may be important in modulating the phenotype and thus the function of vSMCs in tissue-engineered vessels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maureen Wanjare
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins Physical Sciences-Oncology Center and Institute for NanoBioTechnology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Nayan Agarwal
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins Physical Sciences-Oncology Center and Institute for NanoBioTechnology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Sharon Gerecht
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins Physical Sciences-Oncology Center and Institute for NanoBioTechnology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland; Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
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