Biomaterials - Materials
Objectives
- To design, fabricate and characterize materials that control both chemical and physical aspects of receptor-mediated interactions with the adhesion/migration environment
- to control nano-scale clustering of integrins using adhesion peptides (adhesive patterns)
- to create defined spatial gradients of integrin ligands (adhesive gradients)
- to create substrates localize EGF receptor signaling to the cell surface to study the effect of EGFR stimulation on integrin function
- to generate reversible cell capture surfaces to allow multimode microscopy (TIRF and scanning EM)
- to link specific integrin ligation to substrates with well defined mechanical properties to measure integrin force generation.
- to generate protein non-adhesive surfaces for molecular assays
Substrates Available through the Consortium
| Substrate | Utility | Publication | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adhesion ligands on inert background | Provides defined adhesive conditions due to relative specificity of ligands and supression of adsorption of proteins present in serum or secreted by cells. | Irvine et al., 2001 Nanoscale clustering of RGD peptides at polymer surfaces using comb polymers: I. Synthesis and characterization of comb thin films. | Griffith |
| Cell migration gradients Cell adhesion peptide and protein monolayer gradient | Provides well-defined spatial distribution of cell adhesive conditions by spreading RGD-containing peptides and proteins and mapping their distribution with quantitative accuracy. | Plummer et al., 2003 Electrochemically-Derived Gradients of the Extracellular Matrix Protein Fibronectin on Gold. | Bohn |
| Cell signaling molecule gradient | Provides well-defined spatial distribution of cell signaling molecules by spreading signal initiators and mapping their distribution with quantitative accuracy. | Bohn | |
| Inert (non-adhesive) surfaces | Provide non-adhesive sustrate to perform molecular assays (eg; polymerization of cytoskeletal proteins) | Irvine et al., 2001 Nanoscale clustering of RGD peptides at polymer surfaces using comb polymers: I. Synthesis and characterization of comb thin films. | Griffith |
| Multi-ligand gradients | Provides well-defined spatial distribution of cell adhesive conditions and cell signaling molecules by making complementary gradients of adhesive peptides and proteins and signaling molecules and mapping their distribution with quantitative accuracy. | Bohn | |
| Nano-clustered adhesion ligands on inert background | Migration on defined adhesion ligand substrates (some ligands must be clustered); Studies of the role of integrin clustering; | Koo et al., 2002 Coregulation of cell adhesion by nanoscale RGD organization and mechanical stimulus. Maheshwari et al, 2000 Cell adhesion and motility depend on nanoscale RGD clustering. | Griffith |
| Tethered EGF on adhesive background | Provides surface-restricted EGFR stimulation | Kuhl and Griffith-Cima, 1996 Tethered epidermal growth factor as a paradigm for growth factor-induced stimulation from the solid phase. | Griffith |
| Clear micropatterned substrates | Compatible with all standard light and platinum replica electron microscopy approaches | In progress | Borisy (Grzybowski) |