Guided Axon Growth by Gradients of Adhesion in Collagen Gels

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harini G. Sundararaghavan ◽  
Gary A. Monteiro ◽  
David I. Shreiber
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Collagen Gel ◽  
Axon Growth ◽  
Neurite Growth ◽  
Gradient System ◽  
Spinal Cord Regeneration ◽  
Collagen Gels ◽  
Direct Growth ◽  
3D Collagen

During development, neurites are directed by gradients of attractive and repulsive soluble (chemotactic) cues and substrate-bound adhesive (haptotactic) cues. Many of these cues have been extensively researched in vitro, and incorporated into strategies for nerve and spinal cord regeneration, primarily to improve the regenerative environment. To enhance and direct growth, we have developed a system to create 1D gradients of adhesion through a 3D collagen gel using microfluidics. We test our system using collagen grafted with bioactive peptide sequences, IKVAV and YIGSR, from laminin — an extra-cellular matrix (ECM) protein known to strongly influence neurite outgrowth. Gradients are established from ∼0.37mg peptide/mg collagen – 0, and ∼0.18 mg peptide/mg collagen – 0 of each peptide and tested using chick dorsal root ganglia (DRG). Neurite growth is evaluated 5 days after gradient formation. Neurites show increased growth in the gradient system when compared to control and biased growth up the gradient of peptides. Growth in YIGSR-grafted collagen increased with steeper gradients, whereas growth in IKVAV-grafted collagen decreased with steeper gradients. These results demonstrate that neurite growth can be enhanced and directed by controlled, immobilized, haptotactic gradients through 3D scaffolds, and suggest that including these gradients in regenerative therapies may accelerate nerve and spinal cord regeneration.

Microfluidic Generation of Adhesion Gradients Through 3D Collagen Gels: Implications for Neural Tissue Engineering

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harini G. Sundararaghavan ◽  
Gary A. Monteiro ◽  
David I. Shreiber
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Collagen Gel ◽  
Neurite Growth ◽  
Gradient System ◽  
Spinal Cord Regeneration ◽  
Collagen Gels ◽  
Direct Growth ◽  
3D Collagen ◽  
Regenerative Therapies

During development, neurites are directed by gradients of attractive and repulsive soluble (chemotactic) cues and substrate-bound adhesive (haptotactic) cues. Many of these cues have been extensively researched in vitro, and incorporated into strategies for nerve and spinal cord regeneration, primarily to improve the regenerative environment. To enhance and direct growth, we have developed a system to create 1D gradients of adhesion through a 3D collagen gel using microfluidics. We test our system using collagen grafted with bioactive peptide sequences, IKVAV and YIGSR, from laminin — an extra-cellular matrix (ECM) protein known to strongly influence neurite outgrowth [1, 2]. Gradients are established from 0.14 mg/ml–0, and 0.07 mg/ml–0 of each peptide and tested using chick dorsal root ganglia (DRG). Neurite growth is evaluated 5 days after gradient formation. Neurites show increased growth in the gradient system when compared to control and biased growth up the gradient of peptides. These results demonstrate that neurite growth can be enhanced and directed by controlled, immobilized, haptotactic gradients through 3D scaffolds, and suggest that including these gradients in regenerative therapies may accelerate nerve and spinal cord regeneration.

Gradients of Stiffness Guide Neurite Growth in 3D Collagen Gels

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harini G. Sundararaghavan ◽  
David I. Shreiber
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Crosslinking Agent ◽  
Collagen Gel ◽  
Neurite Growth ◽  
Mechanical Anisotropy ◽  
Spinal Cord Regeneration ◽  
Collagen Gels ◽  
Differential Growth ◽  
Biomaterial Scaffold ◽  
3D Collagen

One approach to enhance nerve and spinal cord regeneration following injury is to implant a biomaterial scaffold to ”bridge” the gap of the injury. Structural/mechanical anisotropy has been suggested as a means of orienting this growth axially. We have spatially varied the mechanical properties of a 3D collagen gel to direct growth axially and unidirectionally. Gradients of mechanical properties were generated in collagen gels by exposing the collagen to a 0–1mM gradient of genipin, a cell-tolerated crosslinking agent, for 12hrs via microfluidics. The gradient of stiffness was confirmed via a gradient of genipin-induced fluorescence intensity, which we have previously correlated to the storage modulus of collagen gels. The growth of neurites from isolated chick embryo dorsal root ganglia (DRG) in the presence of these gradients was evaluated after 5 days in culture. In control cases, neurites grew into the collagen gel and up either side of the cross-channel to approximately equal lengths. A 20% difference in differential growth was observed in control experiments. In contrast, when presented a gradient of shear modulus from ∼365Pa – 60Pa, neurites elected to grow down the gradient of stiffness to the compliant side, with an almost 300% difference. Interestingly, the length of neurites in gels with gradients was significantly greater than the length of those grown in gels with uniform, untreated gels with high compliance. Control of neurite growth, cell migration, and other aspects of cell behavior in 3D scaffolds via mechanical properties offers vast potential for tissue engineering and other regenerative therapies.

Directing Neurite Growth in 3D Collagen Scaffolds With Gradients of Mechanical Properties

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harini G. Sundararaghavan ◽  
David I. Shreiber
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Crosslinking Agent ◽  
Collagen Gel ◽  
Neurite Growth ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Spinal Cord Regeneration ◽  
3D Scaffold ◽  
Directional Bias ◽  
Order Of Magnitude

Biomaterial scaffolds for nerve and spinal cord regeneration must not only promote neurite re-growth but also direct it. Several cell types, including neurons, respond to the mechanical properties of the substrate on which they are grown. We believe that gradients of mechanical properties can be used to direct neurons. To spatially control the mechanical properties, gradients of genipin — a naturally occurring, cell-tolerated crosslinking agent — are created in 3D through a compliant collagen gel using microfluidics. Gradients of mechanical properties are evaluated by measuring genipin-induced fluorescence, which we have previously correlated to mechanical properties. Growth of neurites was evaluated in gels of uniform stiffness and a gradient generated by incubation in 0 to 1 mM genipin for 12hrs to produce approximately an order of magnitude change in the shear modulus. Neurite growth was evaluated 5 days after gradient formation. Neurites demonstrated a directional bias against the gradient of stiffness. These results demonstrate that neurites can respond to subtle gradients of mechanical properties within a 3D scaffold and point to opportunities to manipulate properties for directed nerve and spinal cord regeneration.

Orientation of commissural axons in vitro in response to a floor plate-derived chemoattractant

Development ◽  
1990 ◽  
Vol 110 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Placzek ◽  
M. Tessier-Lavigne ◽  
T. Jessell ◽  
J. Dodd
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Collagen Gel ◽  
Axon Growth ◽  
Local Environment ◽  
Floor Plate ◽  
Target Cells ◽  
Commissural Axon ◽  
Commissural Axons ◽  
Commissural Neurons

Developing axons are guided to their targets by molecular cues in their local environment. Some cues are short-range, deriving from cells along axonal pathways. There is also increasing evidence for longer-range guidance cues, in the form of gradients of diffusible chemoattractant molecules, which originate from restricted populations of target cells. The guidance of developing commissural axons within the spinal cord depends on one of their intermediate cellular targets, the floor plate. We have shown previously that floor plate cells secrete a diffusible factor(s) that can alter the direction of commissural axon growth in vitro. Here we show that the factor is an effective chemoattractant for commissural axons. It can diffuse considerable distances through a collagen gel matrix and through dorsal and ventral neural epithelium in vitro to reorient the growth of virtually all commissural axons. The orientation of axons occurs in the absence of detectable effects on the survival of commissural neurons or on the rate of commissural axon extension. The regionally restricted expression of the factor suggests that it is present in the embryonic spinal cord in a gradient with its high point at the floor plate. These observations support the idea that the guidance of commissural axons to the ventral midline of the spinal cord results in part from the secretion of a chemoattractant by the floor plate.

scholarly journals Depolarization and electrical stimulation enhance in vitro and in vivo sensory axon growth after spinal cord injury

2018 ◽  
Vol 300 ◽  
pp. 247-258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ioana Goganau ◽  
Beatrice Sandner ◽  
Norbert Weidner ◽  
Karim Fouad ◽  
Armin Blesch
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Spinal Cord Injury ◽  
Electrical Stimulation ◽  
Axon Growth ◽  
Sensory Axon ◽  
Cord Injury

scholarly journals The selective binding and transmigration of monocytes through the junctional complexes of human endothelium.

1988 ◽  
Vol 168 (5) ◽  
pp. 1865-1882 ◽  
Author(s):  
N A Pawlowski ◽  
G Kaplan ◽  
E Abraham ◽  
Z A Cohn
Keyword(s):  
Silver Staining ◽  
Umbilical Vein ◽  
Collagen Gel ◽  
Collagen Gels ◽  
Silver Stain ◽  
Term Survival ◽  
Topographical Distribution ◽  
Junctional Complexes

Human monocytes show a high affinity for vascular endothelium both in vitro and in vivo. To explore monocyte-endothelial interaction in greater detail, we have developed a new in vitro model for growth of human endothelial cells (EC). Human umbilical vein EC (HUVEC) cultured upon collagen gels form confluent monolayers of EC that bind silver at their intercellular border similar to cells in situ. Intercellular junctional structures, both adherens and tight junctions, were identified. In contrast, HUVEC grown on plastic surfaces did not stain with silver. The silver-staining characteristic of EC-collagen monolayers was reversible and related to their in vitro maturation and senescence. Silver staining of EC borders provided a grid by which the location of monocyte binding to the luminal surface of individual EC could be assessed. Using this technique, we found that monocytes preferentially bound to the margins of EC, in approximation to the silver-staining junctions. These results suggest that EC determinants recognized by monocytes occur in a unique topographical distribution on the apical face of EC. After binding, monocytes migrated through the EC monolayers at high basal rates. The lack of penetration of collagen gels in the absence of an EC monolayer suggested the generation of EC-specific chemotactic signal(s). Monocytes were observed to pass between EC without evidence of disruption of the monolayer. Silver stain remained present during all phases of migration, and under transmission electron microscopy, junctional complexes were found proximal to monocytes that had just completed their passage through the monolayer. After orientation to the basal surface of the EC monolayer, monocytes migrated randomly into the underlying collagen gel. Monocyte adherence, penetration, migration, and long term survival can be studied under these conditions.

The Effects of Geometry and Static Boundary Conditions on Microvessel Outgrowth in a 3D Model of Angiogenesis

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clayton J. Underwood ◽  
Laxminarayanan Krishnan ◽  
Lowell T. Edgar ◽  
Steve Maas ◽  
James B. Hoying ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Condition ◽  
Boundary Conditions ◽  
Direct Relationship ◽  
3D Model ◽  
Mechanical Strain ◽  
Matrix Stiffness ◽  
Collagen Gels ◽  
3D Collagen ◽  
In Vitro Angiogenesis

We reported previously that, in addition to mechanical strain, a constrained boundary condition alone can alter the organization of microvessel outgrowth during in vitro angiogenesis [1]. After 6 days of culture in vitro, microvessels aligned parallel to the long axis of rectangular 3D collagen gels that had constrained edges on the ends. However, unconstrained cultures did not show any alignment of microvessels. The ability to direct microvessel outgrowth during angiogenesis has significant implications for engineering prevascularized grafts and tissues in vitro, therefore an understanding of this process is important. Since there is direct relationship between the ability of endothelial cells to contract 3D gels and matrix stiffness [2], we hypothesize that some constrained boundary conditions will increase the apparent matrix stiffness and in turn will limit gel contraction, prevent microvessel alignment, and reduce microvessel outgrowth. The objective of this study was to compare microvessel growth and alignment under several different static boundary conditions.

scholarly journals The Organotypic Longitudinal Spinal Cord Slice Culture for Stem Cell Study

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanna Sypecka ◽  
Sylwia Koniusz ◽  
Maria Kawalec ◽  
Anna Sarnowska
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Synapse Formation ◽  
Scientific Basis ◽  
Slice Culture ◽  
Spinal Cord Regeneration ◽  
Spinal Cord Slice ◽  
Detailed Method ◽  
Cord Injury

The objective of this paper is to describe in detail the method of organotypic longitudinal spinal cord slice culture and the scientific basis for its potential utility. The technique is based on the interface method, which was described previously and thereafter was modified in our laboratory. The most important advantage of the presented model is the preservation of the intrinsic spinal cord fiber tract and the ventrodorsal polarity of the spinal cord. All the processes occurring during axonal growth, regeneration, synapse formation, and myelination could be visualized while being culturedin vitrofor up to 4-5 weeks after the slices had been isolated. Both pups and adult animals can undergo the same, equally efficient procedures when going by the protocol in question. The urgent need for an appropriatein vitromodel for spinal cord regeneration results from a greater number of clinical trials concerning regenerative medicine in the spinal cord injury and from still insufficient knowledge of the molecular mechanisms involved in the neuroreparative processes. The detailed method of organotypic longitudinal spinal cord slice culture is accompanied by examples of its application to studying biological processes to which both the CNS inhabiting and grafted cells are subjected.

Neurotrophins affect the pattern of DRG neurite growth in a bioassay that presents a choice of CNS and PNS substrates

Development ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 121 (5) ◽  
pp. 1301-1309 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Tuttle ◽  
W.D. Matthew
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Sciatic Nerve ◽  
Sympathetic Neurons ◽  
Neurite Growth ◽  
Drg Neurons ◽  
Substrate Preferences

Neurons can be categorized in terms of where their axons project: within the central nervous system, within the peripheral nervous system, or through both central and peripheral environments. Examples of these categories are cerebellar neurons, sympathetic neurons, and dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons, respectively. When explants containing one type of neuron were placed between cryosections of neonatal or adult sciatic nerve and neonatal spinal cord, the neurites exhibited a strong preference for the substrates that they would normally encounter in vivo: cerebellar neurites generally extended only on spinal cord, sympathetic neurites on sciatic nerve, and DRG neurites on both. Neurite growth from DRG neurons has been shown to be stimulated by neurotrophins. To determine whether neurotrophins might also affect the substrate preferences of neurites, DRG were placed between cryosections of neonatal spinal cord and adult sciatic nerve and cultured for 36 to 48 hours in the presence of various neurotrophins. While DRG cultured in NGF-containing media exhibited neurite growth over both spinal cord and sciatic nerve substrates, in the absence of neurotrophins DRG neurites were found almost exclusively on the CNS cryosection. To determine whether these neurotrophin-dependent neurite patterns resulted from the selective survival of subpopulations of DRG neurons with distinct neurite growth characteristics, a type of rescue experiment was performed: DRG cultured in neurotrophin-free medium were fed with NGF-containing medium after 36 hours in vitro and neurite growth examined 24 hours later; most DRG exhibited extensive neurite growth on both peripheral and central nervous system substrates.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Inhibition of motor axon growth by T-cadherin substrata

Development ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 122 (10) ◽  
pp. 3163-3171 ◽  
Author(s):  
B.J. Fredette ◽  
J. Miller ◽  
B. Ranscht
Keyword(s):  
Motor Neurons ◽  
Axon Growth ◽  
Neurite Growth ◽  
Motor Axon ◽  
Spinal Motor Neurons ◽  
Guidance Cue ◽  
Spinal Motor ◽  
Neuron Populations ◽  
Muscle Innervation

As spinal motor neurons project to their hindlimb targets, their growth cones avoid particular regions along their pathway. T-cadherin is discretely distributed in the avoided caudal sclerotome and on extrasynaptic muscle surfaces (B. J. Fredette and B. Ranscht (1994) J. Neurosci. 14, 7331–7346), and therefore, the ability of T-cadherin to inhibit neurite growth was tested in vitro. T-cadherin inhibited neurite extension from select neuron populations both as a substratum, and as a soluble recombinant protein. Anti-T-cadherin antibodies neutralized the inhibition. Spinal motor neurons were inhibited only during the stages of axon growth across the sclerotome and muscle innervation. Inhibitory responses corresponded to neuronal T-cadherin expression, suggesting a homophilic binding mechanism. These results suggest that T-cadherin is a negative guidance cue for motor axon projections.

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