A novel method to make viscoelastic polyacrylamide gels for cell culture and traction force microscopy.
APL Bioeng
; 4(3): 036104, 2020 Sep.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-32666015
ABSTRACT
Polyacrylamide hydrogels are commonly used in cell biology, notably to cultivate cells on soft surfaces. Polyacrylamide gels are purely elastic and well adapted to cell culture as they are inert and can be conjugated with adhesion proteins. Here, we report a method to make viscoelastic polyacrylamide gels with mechanical properties more closely resembling biological tissues and suitable for cell culture in vitro. We demonstrate that these gels can be used for traction force microscopy experiments. We also show that multiple cell types respond to the viscoelasticity of their substrate and that viscous dissipation has an influence on cell spreading, contractility, and motility. This new material provides new opportunities for investigating how normal or malignant cells sense and respond to viscous dissipation within the extra-cellular matrix.
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Colección:
01-internacional
Banco de datos:
MEDLINE
Idioma:
En
Revista:
APL Bioeng
Año:
2020
Tipo del documento:
Article