scholarly journals Cell contact guidance via sensing anisotropy of network mechanical resistance

2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (29) ◽  
pp. e2024942118
Author(s):  
Greeshma Thrivikraman ◽  
Alicja Jagiełło ◽  
Victor K. Lai ◽  
Sandra L. Johnson ◽  
Mark Keating ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Adhesion ◽  
Mammalian Cells ◽  
Dermal Fibroblasts ◽  
Contact Guidance ◽  
Cell Contact ◽  
Mechanical Resistance ◽  
Cell Orientation ◽  
Fibrin Gel ◽  
Anisotropy Index ◽  
The Cross

Despite the ubiquitous importance of cell contact guidance, the signal-inducing contact guidance of mammalian cells in an aligned fibril network has defied elucidation. This is due to multiple interdependent signals that an aligned fibril network presents to cells, including, at least, anisotropy of adhesion, porosity, and mechanical resistance. By forming aligned fibrin gels with the same alignment strength, but cross-linked to different extents, the anisotropic mechanical resistance hypothesis of contact guidance was tested for human dermal fibroblasts. The cross-linking was shown to increase the mechanical resistance anisotropy, without detectable change in network microstructure and without change in cell adhesion to the cross-linked fibrin gel. This methodology thus isolated anisotropic mechanical resistance as a variable for fixed anisotropy of adhesion and porosity. The mechanical resistance anisotropy |Y*|−1 − |X*|−1 increased over fourfold in terms of the Fourier magnitudes of microbead displacement |X*| and |Y*| at the drive frequency with respect to alignment direction Y obtained by optical forces in active microrheology. Cells were found to exhibit stronger contact guidance in the cross-linked gels possessing greater mechanical resistance anisotropy: the cell anisotropy index based on the tensor of cell orientation, which has a range 0 to 1, increased by 18% with the fourfold increase in mechanical resistance anisotropy. We also show that modulation of adhesion via function-blocking antibodies can modulate the guidance response, suggesting a concomitant role of cell adhesion. These results indicate that fibroblasts can exhibit contact guidance in aligned fibril networks by sensing anisotropy of network mechanical resistance.

An Anisotropic Biphasic Theory of Tissue-Equivalent Mechanics: The Interplay Among Cell Traction, Fibrillar Network Deformation, Fibril Alignment, and Cell Contact Guidance

1997 ◽  
Vol 119 (2) ◽  
pp. 137-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. H. Barocas ◽  
R. T. Tranquillo
Keyword(s):  
Contact Guidance ◽  
Deformation Tensor ◽  
Cell Contact ◽  
Cell Alignment ◽  
Collagen Gels ◽  
Cell Orientation ◽  
Collagen Network ◽  
Orientation Tensor ◽  
Tissue Equivalents ◽  
Cell Traction

We present a general mathematical theory for the mechanical interplay in tissue-equivalents (cell-populated collagen gels): Cell traction leads to compaction of the fibrillar collagen network, which for certain conditions such as a mechanical constraint or inhomogeneous cell distribution, can result in inhomogeneous compaction and consequently fibril alignment, leading to cell contact guidance, which affects the subsequent compaction. The theory accounts for the intrinsically biphasic nature of collagen gel, which is comprised of collagen network and interstitial solution. The theory also accounts for fibril alignment due to inhomogeneous network deformation, that is, anisotropic strain, and for cell alignment in response to fibril alignment. Cell alignment results in anisotropic migration and traction, as modeled by a cell orientation tensor that is a function of a fiber orientation tensor, which is defined by the network deformation tensor. Models for a variety of tissue-equivalents are shown to predict qualitatively the alignment that arises due to inhomogeneous compaction driven by cell traction.

A methodology for the systematic and quantitative study of cell contact guidance in oriented collagen gels. Correlation of fibroblast orientation and gel birefringence

1993 ◽  
Vol 105 (2) ◽  
pp. 317-331 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Guido ◽  
R.T. Tranquillo
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Image Analysis ◽  
Collagen Gel ◽  
Time Lapse ◽  
Automated Image Analysis ◽  
Contact Guidance ◽  
Cell Contact ◽  
Collagen Gels ◽  
Cell Orientation ◽  
Observation Chamber

Despite the likely role of contact guidance in every physiological process involving cell migration, its study in a three-dimensional tissue-equivalent environment has been precluded, heretofore, by inherent difficulties in systematically preparing well-defined contact guidance fields and quantifying the resultant contact guidance. Here, we describe a novel use of a magnetic field to orient collagen fibrils during fibrillogenesis, entrapping cells dispersed in the collagen solution. Using computer-controlled staging and image analysis, we show from automated birefringence measurements of the resultant slab of cell-populated gel contained in a specially designed observation chamber that the fibril orientation is biased along the long axis of the chamber uniformly throughout the chamber. Further, we show that the degree of fibril orientation, and consequently the elicited contact guidance, can be controlled by independently varying the magnetic field strength or temperature during fibrillogenesis. We characterize the contact guidance response to the imposed contact guidance field by measuring cell orientation relative to the axis of fibril orientation from still images obtained in time-lapse via automated image analysis. We present the first quantitative correlation of contact guidance (based on cell orientation) with collagen fibril orientation (based on birefringence) for human foreskin fibroblasts cultured in a collagen gel, by using gels of varying orientation resulting from different magnetic field strengths and temperatures during fibrillogenesis, and by using sufficiently low cell concentrations and early observation times.

scholarly journals Cell surface anchorage and ligand-binding domains of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell adhesion protein alpha-agglutinin, a member of the immunoglobulin superfamily.

1993 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 2554-2563 ◽  
Author(s):  
D Wojciechowicz ◽  
C F Lu ◽  
J Kurjan ◽  
P N Lipke
Keyword(s):  
Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽  
Cell Adhesion ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Cell Surface ◽  
Consensus Sequence ◽  
Binding Domain ◽  
Immunoglobulin Superfamily ◽  
Cell Contact ◽  
Amino Acid Residues ◽  
Adhesion Proteins

alpha-Agglutinin is a cell adhesion glycoprotein expressed on the cell wall of Saccharomyces cerevisiae alpha cells. Binding of alpha-agglutinin to its ligand a-agglutinin, expressed by a cells, mediates cell-cell contact during mating. Analysis of truncations of the 650-amino-acid alpha-agglutinin structural gene AG alpha 1 delineated functional domains of alpha-agglutinin. Removal of the C-terminal hydrophobic sequence allowed efficient secretion of the protein and loss of cell surface attachment. This cell surface anchorage domain was necessary for linkage to a glycosyl phosphatidylinositol anchor. A construct expressing the N-terminal 350 amino acid residues retained full a-agglutinin-binding activity, localizing the binding domain to the N-terminal portion of alpha-agglutinin. A 278-residue N-terminal peptide was inactive; therefore, the binding domain includes residues between 278 and 350. The segment of alpha-agglutinin between amino acid residues 217 and 308 showed significant structural and sequence similarity to a consensus sequence for immunoglobulin superfamily variable-type domains. The similarity of the alpha-agglutinin-binding domain to mammalian cell adhesion proteins suggests that this structure is a highly conserved feature of adhesion proteins in diverse eukaryotes.

scholarly journals The Catenin p120ctnInteracts with Kaiso, a Novel BTB/POZ Domain Zinc Finger Transcription Factor

1999 ◽  
Vol 19 (5) ◽  
pp. 3614-3623 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliet M. Daniel ◽  
Albert B. Reynolds
Keyword(s):  
Transcription Factor ◽  
Monoclonal Antibodies ◽  
Cell Adhesion ◽  
Mammalian Cells ◽  
Yeast Two Hybrid ◽  
Amino Terminal ◽  
Juxtamembrane Region ◽  
Carboxy Terminal ◽  
Two Hybrid ◽  
E Cadherin

ABSTRACT p120 ctn is an Armadillo repeat domain protein with structural similarity to the cell adhesion cofactors β-catenin and plakoglobin. All three proteins interact directly with the cytoplasmic domain of the transmembrane cell adhesion molecule E-cadherin; β-catenin and plakoglobin bind a carboxy-terminal region in a mutually exclusive manner, while p120 binds the juxtamembrane region. Unlike β-catenin and plakoglobin, p120 does not interact with α-catenin, the tumor suppressor adenomatous polyposis coli (APC), or the transcription factor Lef-1, suggesting that it has unique binding partners and plays a distinct role in the cadherin-catenin complex. Using p120 as bait, we conducted a yeast two-hybrid screen and identified a novel transcription factor which we named Kaiso. Kaiso’s deduced amino acid sequence revealed an amino-terminal BTB/POZ protein-protein interaction domain and three carboxy-terminal zinc fingers of the C2H2 DNA-binding type. Kaiso thus belongs to a rapidly growing family of POZ-ZF transcription factors that include the Drosophila developmental regulators Tramtrak and Bric à brac, and the human oncoproteins BCL-6 and PLZF, which are causally linked to non-Hodgkins’ lymphoma and acute promyelocytic leukemia, respectively. Monoclonal antibodies to Kaiso were generated and used to immunolocalize the protein and confirm the specificity of the p120-Kaiso interaction in mammalian cells. Kaiso specifically coprecipitated with a variety of p120-specific monoclonal antibodies but not with antibodies to α- or β-catenin, E-cadherin, or APC. Like other POZ-ZF proteins, Kaiso localized to the nucleus and was associated with specific nuclear dots. Yeast two-hybrid interaction assays mapped the binding domains to Arm repeats 1 to 7 of p120 and the carboxy-terminal 200 amino acids of Kaiso. In addition, Kaiso homodimerized via its POZ domain but it did not heterodimerize with BCL-6, which heterodimerizes with PLZF. The involvement of POZ-ZF proteins in development and cancer makes Kaiso an interesting candidate for a downstream effector of cadherin and/or p120 signaling.

scholarly journals Changes in E-cadherin rigidity sensing regulate cell adhesion

2017 ◽  
Vol 114 (29) ◽  
pp. E5835-E5844 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caitlin Collins ◽  
Aleksandra K. Denisin ◽  
Beth L. Pruitt ◽  
W. James Nelson
Keyword(s):  
Cell Adhesion ◽  
Signaling Molecules ◽  
Membrane Dynamics ◽  
Cell Contact ◽  
Adhesion Assay ◽  
Cell Periphery ◽  
Actin Organization ◽  
Rigidity Sensing ◽  
E Cadherin ◽  
Cell Cell

Mechanical cues are sensed and transduced by cell adhesion complexes to regulate diverse cell behaviors. Extracellular matrix (ECM) rigidity sensing by integrin adhesions has been well studied, but rigidity sensing by cadherins during cell adhesion is largely unexplored. Using mechanically tunable polyacrylamide (PA) gels functionalized with the extracellular domain of E-cadherin (Ecad-Fc), we showed that E-cadherin–dependent epithelial cell adhesion was sensitive to changes in PA gel elastic modulus that produced striking differences in cell morphology, actin organization, and membrane dynamics. Traction force microscopy (TFM) revealed that cells produced the greatest tractions at the cell periphery, where distinct types of actin-based membrane protrusions formed. Cells responded to substrate rigidity by reorganizing the distribution and size of high-traction-stress regions at the cell periphery. Differences in adhesion and protrusion dynamics were mediated by balancing the activities of specific signaling molecules. Cell adhesion to a 30-kPa Ecad-Fc PA gel required Cdc42- and formin-dependent filopodia formation, whereas adhesion to a 60-kPa Ecad-Fc PA gel induced Arp2/3-dependent lamellipodial protrusions. A quantitative 3D cell–cell adhesion assay and live cell imaging of cell–cell contact formation revealed that inhibition of Cdc42, formin, and Arp2/3 activities blocked the initiation, but not the maintenance of established cell–cell adhesions. These results indicate that the same signaling molecules activated by E-cadherin rigidity sensing on PA gels contribute to actin organization and membrane dynamics during cell–cell adhesion. We hypothesize that a transition in the stiffness of E-cadherin homotypic interactions regulates actin and membrane dynamics during initial stages of cell–cell adhesion.

scholarly journals Screening Platform for Cell Contact Guidance Based on Inorganic Biomaterial Micro/nanotopographical Gradients

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (37) ◽  
pp. 31433-31445 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qihui Zhou ◽  
Olga Castañeda Ocampo ◽  
Carlos F. Guimarães ◽  
Philipp T. Kühn ◽  
Theo G. van Kooten ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Contact Guidance ◽  
Cell Contact ◽  
Screening Platform

Surface characterization of poly(methyl methacrylate) microgrooved for contact guidance of mammalian cells

Biomaterials ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 22 (12) ◽  
pp. 1635-1642 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.A Alaerts ◽  
V.M De Cupere ◽  
S Moser ◽  
P van den Bosh de Aguilar ◽  
P.G Rouxhet
Keyword(s):  
Methyl Methacrylate ◽  
Mammalian Cells ◽  
Surface Characterization ◽  
Contact Guidance ◽  
Poly Methyl Methacrylate

Antisense RNA inactivation of gene expression of a cell-cell adhesion protein (gp64) in the cellular slime mold Polysphondylium pallidum

1996 ◽  
Vol 109 (5) ◽  
pp. 1009-1016
Author(s):  
S. Funamoto ◽  
H. Ochiai
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Cell Adhesion ◽  
Antisense Rna ◽  
Resistant Cell ◽  
Cell Contact ◽  
Cellular Slime Mold ◽  
Adhesion Protein ◽  
Cell Adhesion Protein ◽  
Polysphondylium Pallidum ◽  
Cell Cell

The gp64 protein of Polysphondylium pallidum has been shown to mediate EDTA-stable cell-cell adhesion. To explore the functional role of gp64, we made an antisense RNA expression construct designed to prevent the gene expression of gp64; the construct was introduced into P. pallidum cells and the transformants were characterised. The antisense RNA-expressing clone L3mc2 which had just been harvested at the growth phase tended to re-form in aggregates smaller in size than did the parental cells in either the presence or absence of 10 mM EDTA. In contrast, 6.5-hour starved L3mc2 cells remained considerably dissociated from each other after 5 minutes gyrating, although aggregation gradually increased by 50% during a further 55 minutes gyrating in the presence of 10 mM EDTA. Correspondingly, L3mc2 lacked specifically the cell-cell adhesion protein, gp64. We therefore conclude that the gp64 protein is involved in forming the EDTA-resistant cell-cell contact. In spite of the absence of gp64, L3mc2 exhibited normal developmental processes, a fact which demonstrates that another cell-cell adhesion system exists in the development of Polysphondylium. This is the first report in which an antisense RNA technique was successfully applied to Polysphondylium.

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