Skip to main content
Article
The Number of Lines a Cell Contacts and Cell Contractility Drive the Efficiency of Contact Guidance
Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering
  • Nicholas R. Romsey, Iowa State University
  • Yue Hou, Iowa State University
  • Laura L Rodriguez, Iowa State University
  • Ian C. Schneider, Iowa State University
Document Type
Article
Publication Version
Accepted Manuscript
Publication Date
3-1-2014
DOI
10.1007/s12195-013-0299-2
Abstract

Cell migration is an important biological function that impacts many physiological and pathological processes. Often migration is directed along various densities of aligned fibers of collagen, a process called contact guidance. However, cells adhere to other components in the extracellular matrix, possibly affecting migrational behavior. Additionally, changes in intracellular contractility are well known to affect random migration, but its effect on contact guidance is less known. This study examines differences in directed migration in response to variations in the spacing of collagen, non-specific background adhesion strength and myosin II-mediated contractility. Collagen was microcontact printed onto glass substrates and timelapse live-cell microscopy was used to measure migration characteristics. Increasing the number of lines a cell contacts or decreasing contraction led to decreases in directionality, but speed changes were context dependent. This suggests that while cell migration speed is a biphasic function of contractility, directionality appears to be a monotonic, increasing function of contractility. Thus, increasing the number of lines a cell contacts or decreasing contractility degrades the contact guidance fidelity.

Comments

This is a manuscript of an article from Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering 7 (2014): 122, doi: 10.1007/s12195-013-0299-2. Posted with permission. The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12195-013-0299-2.

Copyright Owner
Springer International Publishing
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Citation Information
Nicholas R. Romsey, Yue Hou, Laura L Rodriguez and Ian C. Schneider. "The Number of Lines a Cell Contacts and Cell Contractility Drive the Efficiency of Contact Guidance" Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering Vol. 7 Iss. 1 (2014) p. 122 - 135
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/ian_schneider/14/