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Li X, Chen B. Dynamics of multicellular swirling on micropatterned substrates. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2400804121. [PMID: 38900800 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2400804121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2024] [Accepted: 05/24/2024] [Indexed: 06/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Chirality plays a crucial role in biology, as it is highly conserved and fundamentally important in the developmental process. To better understand the relationship between the chirality of individual cells and that of tissues and organisms, we develop a generalized mechanics model of chiral polarized particles to investigate the swirling dynamics of cell populations on substrates. Our analysis reveals that cells with the same chirality can form distinct chiral patterns on ring-shaped or rectangular substrates. Interestingly, our studies indicate that an excessively strong or weak individual cellular chirality hinders the formation of such chiral patterns. Our studies also indicate that there exists the influence distance of substrate boundaries in chiral patterns. Smaller influence distances are observed when cell-cell interactions are weaker. Conversely, when cell-cell interactions are too strong, multiple cells tend to be stacked together, preventing the formation of chiral patterns on substrates in our analysis. Additionally, we demonstrate that the interaction between cells and substrate boundaries effectively controls the chiral distribution of cellular orientations on ring-shaped substrates. This research highlights the significance of coordinating boundary features, individual cellular chirality, and cell-cell interactions in governing the chiral movement of cell populations and provides valuable mechanics insights into comprehending the intricate connection between the chirality of single cells and that of tissues and organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi Li
- Department of Engineering Mechanics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, People's Republic of China
| | - Bin Chen
- Department of Engineering Mechanics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Soft Machines and Smart Devices of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, People's Republic of China
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Zhang H, Fan J, Maclin JM, Wan LQ. The Actin Crosslinker Fascin Regulates Cell Chirality. Adv Biol (Weinh) 2023; 7:e2200240. [PMID: 36658789 PMCID: PMC10293081 DOI: 10.1002/adbi.202200240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2022] [Revised: 12/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
The left-right (L-R) asymmetry of the cells, or cell chirality, is a well-known intrinsic property derived from the dynamic organization of the actin cytoskeleton. Cell chirality can be regulated by actin-binding proteins such as α-actinin-1 and can also be mediated by certain signaling pathways, such as protein kinase C (PKC) signaling. Fascin, an actin crosslinker known to mediate parallel bundling of actin filaments, appears as a prominent candidate in cell chirality regulation, given its role in facilitating cell migration as an important PKC substrate. Here, it is shown that the chirality of NIH/3T3 cells can be altered by PKC activation and fascin manipulation. With either small-molecule drug inhibition or genetic knockdown of fascin, the chirality of 3T3 cells is reversed from a clockwise (CW) bias to a counterclockwise (CCW) bias on ring-shaped micropatterns, accompanied by the reversal in cell directional migration. The Ser-39 fascin-actin binding sites are further explored in cell chirality regulation. The findings of this study reveal the critical role of fascin as an important intermediator in cell chirality, shedding novel insights into the mechanisms of L-R asymmetric cell migration and multicellular morphogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haokang Zhang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180, USA
| | - Jie Fan
- Center for Biotechnology & Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180, USA
- Department of Natural Sciences, University of Michigan-Dearborn, Dearborn, MI 48128, USA
| | - Joshua M.A. Maclin
- Center for Biotechnology & Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180, USA
- Department of Biological Science, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180, USA
| | - Leo Q. Wan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180, USA
- Center for Biotechnology & Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180, USA
- Department of Biological Science, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180, USA
- Center for Modeling, Simulation and Imaging in Medicine, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180, USA
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Zhou Z, Zhang J, He X, Chen X, Dong L, Lin J, Wang H, Weng W, Cheng K. Regulation of Macrophage Polarization on Chiral Potential Distribution of CFO/P(VDF-TrFE) Films. ACS Biomater Sci Eng 2023; 9:2524-2533. [PMID: 37092816 DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.3c00207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/25/2023]
Abstract
Surface potentials of biomaterials have been shown to regulate cell fate commitment. However, the effects of chirality-patterned potential distribution on macrophage polarization are still only beginning to be explored. In this work, we demonstrated that the chirality-patterned potential distribution of CoFe2O4/poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) (CFO/P(VDF-TrFE)) films could significantly down-regulate the M1 polarization of bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs). Specifically, the dextral-patterned surface potential distribution simultaneously up-regulated the expression of M2-related markers of BMDMs. The results were attributed to the sensitive difference of integrin subunits (α5β1 and αvβ3) to the dextral- and sinistral-patterned surface potential distribution, respectively. The interaction difference between the integrin subunits and surface potential distribution altered the cell adhesion and cytoskeletal structure and thereby the polarization behavior of BMDMs. This work, therefore, emphasizes the importance of chirality of potential distribution on cell behavior and provides a new strategy to regulate the immune response of biomaterials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiyuan Zhou
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Silicon Materials, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
| | - Jiamin Zhang
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Silicon Materials, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
| | - Xuzhao He
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Silicon Materials, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
| | - Xiaoyi Chen
- Stomatology Hospital, School of Stomatology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang Province Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedical Research of Zhejiang Province, Cancer Center of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310006, China
| | - Lingqing Dong
- Stomatology Hospital, School of Stomatology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang Province Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedical Research of Zhejiang Province, Cancer Center of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310006, China
| | - Jun Lin
- The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310003, China
| | - Huiming Wang
- Stomatology Hospital, School of Stomatology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang Province Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedical Research of Zhejiang Province, Cancer Center of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310006, China
| | - Wenjian Weng
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Silicon Materials, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
| | - Kui Cheng
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Silicon Materials, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
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Nakamura M, Hui J, Parkhurst SM. Bending actin filaments: twists of fate. Fac Rev 2023; 12:7. [PMID: 37081903 PMCID: PMC10111394 DOI: 10.12703/r/12-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/22/2023] Open
Abstract
In many cellular contexts, intracellular actomyosin networks must generate directional forces to carry out cellular tasks such as migration and endocytosis, which play important roles during normal developmental processes. A number of different actin binding proteins have been identified that form linear or branched actin, and that regulate these filaments through activities such as bundling, crosslinking, and depolymerization to create a wide variety of functional actin assemblies. The helical nature of actin filaments allows them to better accommodate tensile stresses by untwisting, as well as to bend to great curvatures without breaking. Interestingly, this latter property, the bending of actin filaments, is emerging as an exciting new feature for determining dynamic actin configurations and functions. Indeed, recent studies using in vitro assays have found that proteins including IQGAP, Cofilin, Septins, Anillin, α-Actinin, Fascin, and Myosins-alone or in combination-can influence the bending or curvature of actin filaments. This bending increases the number and types of dynamic assemblies that can be generated, as well as the spectrum of their functions. Intriguingly, in some cases, actin bending creates directionality within a cell, resulting in a chiral cell shape. This actin-dependent cell chirality is highly conserved in vertebrates and invertebrates and is essential for cell migration and breaking L-R symmetry of tissues/organs. Here, we review how different types of actin binding protein can bend actin filaments, induce curved filament geometries, and how they impact on cellular functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mitsutoshi Nakamura
- Basic Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA 98109
| | - Justin Hui
- Basic Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA 98109
| | - Susan M Parkhurst
- Basic Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA 98109
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Rahman T, Peters F, Wan LQ. Cell jamming regulates epithelial chiral morphogenesis. J Biomech 2023; 147:111435. [PMID: 36641827 PMCID: PMC10020895 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2023.111435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2022] [Revised: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Internal organs such as the heart demonstrate apparent left-right (LR) asymmetric morphology and positioning. Cellular chirality and associated LR biased mechanical behavior such as cell migration have been attributed to LR symmetry breaking during embryonic development. Mathematical models have shown that chiral directional migration can be driven by cellular intrinsic torque. Tissue jamming state (i.e., solid-like vs fluid-like state) strongly regulates collective migratory behavior, but how it might affect chiral morphogenesis is still unknown. Here, we develop a cell vertex model to study the role of tissue rigidity or jamming state on chiral morphogenesis of the cells on a patterned ring-shaped tissue, simulating a previously reported experimental setup for measuring cell chirality. We simulate chirality as torsional forces acting on cell vertices. As expected, the cells undergo bidirectional migration at the opposing (inner and outer) boundaries of the ring-shaped tissue. We discover that more fluid-like tissues (unjammed) demonstrate a stronger chiral cell alignment and elongation than more solid-like (jammed) tissues and maintain a bigger difference in migration velocity between opposing tissue boundaries. Finally, we find that fluid-like tissues undergo more cell-neighbor exchange events. This study reveals that chiral torque is sufficient to achieve a biased cellular alignment as seen in vitro. It further sheds light on the mechanical regulation of chiral morphogenesis of tissues and reveals a role of cell density-independent tissue rigidity in this process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tasnif Rahman
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180, USA
| | - Frank Peters
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180, USA
| | - Leo Q Wan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180, USA; Department of Biological Sciences, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180, USA; Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Sciences, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180, USA; Center for Modeling, Simulation, and Imaging in Medicine, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180, USA.
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Forrest K, Barricella AC, Pohar SA, Hinman AM, Amack JD. Understanding laterality disorders and the left-right organizer: Insights from zebrafish. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:1035513. [PMID: 36619867 PMCID: PMC9816872 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.1035513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Vital internal organs display a left-right (LR) asymmetric arrangement that is established during embryonic development. Disruption of this LR asymmetry-or laterality-can result in congenital organ malformations. Situs inversus totalis (SIT) is a complete concordant reversal of internal organs that results in a low occurrence of clinical consequences. Situs ambiguous, which gives rise to Heterotaxy syndrome (HTX), is characterized by discordant development and arrangement of organs that is associated with a wide range of birth defects. The leading cause of health problems in HTX patients is a congenital heart malformation. Mutations identified in patients with laterality disorders implicate motile cilia in establishing LR asymmetry. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying SIT and HTX are not fully understood. In several vertebrates, including mouse, frog and zebrafish, motile cilia located in a "left-right organizer" (LRO) trigger conserved signaling pathways that guide asymmetric organ development. Perturbation of LRO formation and/or function in animal models recapitulates organ malformations observed in SIT and HTX patients. This provides an opportunity to use these models to investigate the embryological origins of laterality disorders. The zebrafish embryo has emerged as an important model for investigating the earliest steps of LRO development. Here, we discuss clinical characteristics of human laterality disorders, and highlight experimental results from zebrafish that provide insights into LRO biology and advance our understanding of human laterality disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kadeen Forrest
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, State University of New York Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY, United States
| | - Alexandria C. Barricella
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, State University of New York Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY, United States
| | - Sonny A. Pohar
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, State University of New York Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY, United States
| | - Anna Maria Hinman
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, State University of New York Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY, United States
| | - Jeffrey D. Amack
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, State University of New York Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY, United States,BioInspired Syracuse: Institute for Material and Living Systems, Syracuse, NY, United States,*Correspondence: Jeffrey D. Amack,
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Porras Hernández AM, Tenje M, Antfolk M. Cell chirality exhibition of brain microvascular endothelial cells is dependent on micropattern width. RSC Adv 2022; 12:30135-30144. [PMID: 36329947 PMCID: PMC9585451 DOI: 10.1039/d2ra05434e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Left-right asymmetry is a conserved property in nature and observed in the human body, a property known as cell chirality. Cell chirality is often studied using micropatterned in vitro models. However, micropattern geometry and size often varies across different studies, making it challenging to compare results. Here, we utilized micropatterned RGD-peptide lines on hyaluronic acid hydrogels to investigate the effect of the micropattern width on the exhibited cell chirality bias of brain microvascular endothelial cells. Overall, this cell type exhibited a negative chirality bias on micropatterned lines ranging from 10 μm to 400 μm in width, where the negative bias was most pronounced on the 100 μm wide lines. We also observed that this exhibited chirality bias varied across the line width. This work serves as a guide to determine optimal micropattern width for further investigations on cell chirality bias and its prominence in e.g., disease states or upon exposure to toxic substances. Brain endothelial microvascular cell chirality is dependent on micropattern width and spatial localization. Finding the optimal micropattern width and including only the centre cells in the analysis for chirality-based experiments might improve further experimental results.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana María Porras Hernández
- Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University Uppsala Sweden
| | - Maria Tenje
- Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University Uppsala Sweden
| | - Maria Antfolk
- Dept. of Biomedical Engineering, Lund University Lund Sweden .,Biotech Research and Innovation Centre, University of Copenhagen Copenhagen Denmark
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Zhang H, Ronaldson-Bouchard K, Vunjak-Novakovic G, Wan LQ. A Micropatterning Assay for Measuring Cell Chirality. J Vis Exp 2022:10.3791/63105. [PMID: 35343954 PMCID: PMC9008871 DOI: 10.3791/63105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Chirality is an intrinsic cellular property, which depicts the asymmetry in terms of polarization along the left-right axis of the cell. As this unique property attracts increasing attention due to its important roles in both development and disease, a standardized quantification method for characterizing cell chirality would advance research and potential applications. In this protocol, we describe a multicellular chirality characterization assay that utilizes micropatterned arrays of cells. Cellular micropatterns are fabricated on titanium/gold-coated glass slides via microcontact printing. After seeding on the geometrically defined (e.g., ring-shaped), protein-coated islands, cells directionally migrate and form a biased alignment toward either the clockwise or the counterclockwise direction, which can be automatically analyzed and quantified by a custom-written MATLAB program. Here we describe in detail the fabrication of micropatterned substrates, cell seeding, image collection, and data analysis and show representative results obtained using the NIH/3T3 cells. This protocol has previously been validated in multiple published studies and is an efficient and reliable tool for studying cell chirality in vitro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haokang Zhang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Center for Biotechnology & Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
| | | | - Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University; Department of Medicine, Columbia University
| | - Leo Q Wan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Center for Biotechnology & Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Department of Biological Sciences, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Center for Modeling, Simulation, and Imaging in Medicine, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute;
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Zhang H, Wan LQ. Cell Chirality as a Novel Measure for Cytotoxicity. Adv Biol (Weinh) 2022; 6:e2101088. [PMID: 34796704 PMCID: PMC9008805 DOI: 10.1002/adbi.202101088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2021] [Revised: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Cytotoxicity assessment has great importance in both research and pharmaceutical development. The mainstream in vitro cytotoxicity assays are mostly biochemical assays that evaluate a specific cellular activity such as proliferation and apoptosis. Few assays assess toxicity by characterizing overall functional outcomes in cellular physiology such as multicellular morphogenesis. The intrinsic cellular chiral bias (also known as cell chirality, left-right asymmetry, or handedness), which determines cellular polarization along the left-right axis, is demonstrated to play important roles in development and disease. This chiral property of cells gives insights not only into functions of individual cells, such as motility and polarity but also into emerging behaviors of cell clusters, such as collective cell migration. Therefore, cell chirality characterization can be potentially used as a biomarker for assessing the overall effects of pharmaceutical drugs and environmental factors on the health of the cell. In this review article, the current in vitro techniques for cell chirality characterization and their applications are discussed and the advantages and limitations of these cell chirality assays as potential tools for detecting cytotoxicity are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haokang Zhang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, 12180, USA
- Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, 12180, USA
| | - Leo Q Wan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, 12180, USA
- Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, 12180, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, 12180, USA
- Center for Modeling, Simulation, and Imaging in Medicine, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, 12180, USA
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