Using DPN to Screen for Cell Adhesion Properties

Fibronectin ECM protein was patterned into various shapes with the NLP 2000 System. Cells were added to the substrate, washed and imaged live at 60 minutes. Cell shape and orientation are controlled via the pattern the cell is attached to.

Cell adhesion plays an important functional role in most human cell types; it is known to contribute to many tissue maintenance processes, including cell migration, wound healing and cellular differentiation. To study the impact of cell adhesion on these and other cellular functions, an even more fundamental cell adhesion issue must first be addressed: those cells being studied must be affixed to a suitable culture substrate. Thus, characterization of a cell population's ability to adhere to various types of cell adhesive molecules is a primary component of many cell function experiments. With the ability to deposit features at the sub-cellular (< 10 µm) scale, DPN has emerged as a powerful tool to fabricate arrays of ECM proteins, attach single cells to individual array features, identify optimal cell adhesion protein/cell combinations, and subsequently study adherence-mitigated cellular function.

In recent experimental work, NanoInk's NLP 2000 System has been used to pattern ECM proteins (including fibronectin, laminin and collagen) in arrays of sub-cellular features. After adding fibroblasts and myoblasts to these multiplexed arrays, it was possible to screen for adherence of specific cell types to multiple cell adhesive proteins on a single slide.

In addition to ECM proteins, DPN is capable of patterning numerous antibodies, receptor ligands and other types of cell adhesion materials. The NanoInk lithography platform can also simultaneously deposit multiple concentrations of any particular cell adhesion molecule. The resulting sub-cellular arrays convey the ability to conduct multiplexed cell adhesion analysis with minimal quantities of cell adhesion proteins and adherent cells. These capabilities are expected to advance the field of cellular function research that depends on the initial adherence of cells under study to a viable substrate.

Explore additional proof of concept data in NanoInk's Screening for Cell Adhesion Properties Application Note. For information on other DPN applications, see the Applications tab or contact us!

References

1. Collins, J.M. and Nettikadan, S.: Sub-cellular scaled multiplexed protein patterns for single cell co-cultures. Analytical Biochemistry. 419(2):339-41, 2011.
   

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