Fabrication of a microfluidic device for studying the combinatorial effect of physical and chemical cues on cell migration

AbstractCells encounter a wide variety of physical and chemical cues when navigating their native environments. However, their response to multiple simultaneous cues is not yet clear. In particular, the influence of topography, in the presence of a chemotactic gradient, on their migratory behavior is understudied. Here, we investigate the effects of topographical guidance on highly motile amoeboid cell migration (topotaxis) generated by asymmetrically placed micropillars. The micropillar field allows for an additional, natural chemotactic gradient in two different directions, thereby revealing the relevance of topotaxis in the presence of cell migration directed by chemical gradients (chemotaxis). Interestingly, we found that the topotactic drift generated by the pillar field is conserved during chemotaxis. We show that the drifts generated by both these cues add up linearly. A coarse-grained analysis as a function of pillar spacing subsequently revealed that the strength and direction of the topotactic drift is determined by (i) the pore size, (ii) space between pores, and (iii) the effective diffusion constant of the cells. Finally, we argue that topotaxis must be conserved during chemotaxis, as it is an emergent property of both the asymmetric properties of the pillar field and the inherent stochasticity of (biased) amoeboid migration.

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Microfluidic device with dual mechanical cues for cell migration investigation

2013 35th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC) ◽

10.1109/embc.2013.6609632 ◽

2013 ◽

Author(s):

Chin-Hsiung Tsai ◽

Po-Ling Kuo

Keyword(s):

Cell Migration ◽

Microfluidic Device

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Physical and chemical cues influencing the oviposition behaviour of Aphidius ervi

Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata ◽

10.1046/j.1570-7458.2000.00623.x ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 94 (3) ◽

pp. 219-227 ◽

Cited By ~ 58

Author(s):

Donatella Battaglia ◽

Guy Poppy ◽

Wilf Powell ◽

Antonio Romano ◽

Antonio Tranfaglia ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Chemical Cues ◽

Oviposition Behaviour ◽

Aphidius Ervi ◽

Physical And Chemical

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Grip and slip of L1-CAM on adhesive substrates direct growth cone haptotaxis

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.1711667115 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 115 (11) ◽

pp. 2764-2769 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Kouki Abe ◽

Hiroko Katsuno ◽

Michinori Toriyama ◽

Kentarou Baba ◽

Tomoyuki Mori ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cell Migration ◽

Growth Cone ◽

Cell Adhesion Molecule ◽

Chemical Cues ◽

Traction Force ◽

Human Patient ◽

Direct Growth ◽

Direct Cell ◽

Conventional Cell ◽

Directional Cell Migration

Chemical cues presented on the adhesive substrate direct cell migration, a process termed haptotaxis. To migrate, cells must generate traction forces upon the substrate. However, how cells probe substrate-bound cues and generate directional forces for migration remains unclear. Here, we show that the cell adhesion molecule (CAM) L1-CAM is involved in laminin-induced haptotaxis of axonal growth cones. L1-CAM underwent grip and slip on the substrate. The ratio of the grip state was higher on laminin than on the control substrate polylysine; this was accompanied by an increase in the traction force upon laminin. Our data suggest that the directional force for laminin-induced growth cone haptotaxis is generated by the grip and slip of L1-CAM on the substrates, which occur asymmetrically under the growth cone. This mechanism is distinct from the conventional cell signaling models for directional cell migration. We further show that this mechanism is disrupted in a human patient with L1-CAM syndrome, suffering corpus callosum agenesis and corticospinal tract hypoplasia.

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Physical and Chemical Cues for Spore Germination and Appressorium Formation by Fungal Pathogens

Plant Relationships ◽

10.1007/978-3-662-10370-8_3 ◽

1997 ◽

pp. 27-40 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

R. C. Staples ◽

H. C. Hoch

Keyword(s):

Spore Germination ◽

Fungal Pathogens ◽

Chemical Cues ◽

Appressorium Formation ◽

Physical And Chemical

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Regulation and Directing Stem Cell Fate by Tissue Engineering Functional Microenvironments: Scaffold Physical and Chemical Cues

Stem Cells International ◽

10.1155/2019/2180925 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2019 ◽

pp. 1-16 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Fei Xing ◽

Lang Li ◽

Changchun Zhou ◽

Cheng Long ◽

Lina Wu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tissue Engineering ◽

Stem Cells ◽

Stem Cell ◽

Growth Factors ◽

Cell Fate ◽

Chemical Cues ◽

Physical Factors ◽

Stem Cell Fate ◽

Physical And Chemical

It is well known that stem cells reside within tissue engineering functional microenvironments that physically localize them and direct their stem cell fate. Recent efforts in the development of more complex and engineered scaffold technologies, together with new understanding of stem cell behavior in vitro, have provided a new impetus to study regulation and directing stem cell fate. A variety of tissue engineering technologies have been developed to regulate the fate of stem cells. Traditional methods to change the fate of stem cells are adding growth factors or some signaling pathways. In recent years, many studies have revealed that the geometrical microenvironment played an essential role in regulating the fate of stem cells, and the physical factors of scaffolds including mechanical properties, pore sizes, porosity, surface stiffness, three-dimensional structures, and mechanical stimulation may affect the fate of stem cells. Chemical factors such as cell-adhesive ligands and exogenous growth factors would also regulate the fate of stem cells. Understanding how these physical and chemical cues affect the fate of stem cells is essential for building more complex and controlled scaffolds for directing stem cell fate.

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