Control of cell adhesion and neurite outgrowth by patterned gold nanoparticles with tunable attractive or repulsive surface properties.

Guiding of neuronal cells on surfaces is required for the investigation of fundamental aspects of neurobiology, for tissue engineering, and for numerous bioelectronic applications. A modular method to establish nanostructured chemical templates for local deposition of gold nanoparticles is presented. A process comprising nanoimprint lithography, silanization, lift-off, and gold nanoparticle immobilization is used to fabricate the particle patterns. The chemical composition of the surface can be modified by in situ adsorption of cell-binding ligands to locally addressed particles. The versatility of this approach is demonstrated by inverting the binding affinity between rat cortical neurons and nanopatterned surfaces via wet-chemical means and thereby reversing the pattern of guided neurons.

Focal adhesion kinase-dependent regulation of adhesive forces involves vinculin recruitment to focal adhesions.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION: FAK (focal adhesion kinase), an essential non-receptor tyrosine kinase, plays pivotal roles in migratory responses, adhesive signalling and mechanotransduction. FAK-dependent regulation of cell migration involves focal adhesion turnover dynamics as well as actin cytoskeleton polymerization and lamellipodia protrusion. Whereas roles for FAK in migratory and mechanosensing responses have been established, the contribution of FAK to the generation of adhesive forces is not well understood. RESULTS: Using FAK-null cells expressing wild-type and mutant FAK under an inducible tetracycline promoter, we analysed the role of FAK in the generation of steady-state adhesive forces using micropatterned substrates and a hydrodynamic adhesion assay. FAK expression reduced steady-state strength by 30% compared with FAK-null cells. FAK expression reduced VCL (vinculin) localization to focal adhesions by 35% independently of changes in integrin binding and localization of talin and paxillin. RNAi (RNA interference) knock-down of VCL abrogated the FAK-dependent differences in adhesive forces. FAK-dependent changes in VCL localization and adhesive forces were confirmed in human primary fibroblasts with FAK knocked down by RNAi. The autophosphorylation Tyr-397 and kinase domain Tyr-576/Tyr-577 sites were differentially required for FAK-mediated adhesive responses. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate that FAK reduces steady-state adhesion strength by modulating VCL recruitment to focal adhesions. These findings provide insights into the role of FAK in mechanical interactions between a cell and the extracellular matrix.

Contractility modulates cell adhesion strengthening through focal adhesion kinase and assembly of vinculin-containing focal adhesions.

Actin-myosin contractility modulates focal adhesion assembly, stress fiber formation, and cell migration. We analyzed the contributions of contractility to fibroblast adhesion strengthening using a hydrodynamic adhesion assay and micropatterned substrates to control cell shape and adhesive area. Serum addition resulted in adhesion strengthening to levels 30-40% higher than serum-free cultures. Inhibition of myosin light chain kinase or Rho-kinase blocked phosphorylation of myosin light chain to similar extents and eliminated the serum-induced enhancements in strengthening. Blebbistatin-induced inhibition of myosin II reduced serum-induced adhesion strength to similar levels as those obtained by blocking myosin light chain phosphorylation. Reductions in adhesion strengthening by inhibitors of contractility correlated with loss of vinculin and talin from focal adhesions without changes in integrin binding. In vinculin-null cells, inhibition of contractility did not alter adhesive force, whereas controls displayed a 20% reduction in adhesion strength, indicating that the effects of contractility on adhesive force are vinculin-dependent. Furthermore, in cells expressing FAK, inhibitors of contractility reduced serum-induced adhesion strengthening as well as eliminated focal adhesion assembly. In contrast, in the absence of FAK, these inhibitors did not alter adhesion strength or focal adhesion assembly. These results indicate that contractility modulates adhesion strengthening via FAK-dependent, vinculin-containing focal adhesion assembly.

Cell adhesion strengthening: contributions of adhesive area, integrin binding, and focal adhesion assembly.

Mechanical interactions between a cell and its environment regulate migration, contractility, gene expression, and cell fate. We integrated micropatterned substrates to engineer adhesive area and a hydrodynamic assay to analyze fibroblast adhesion strengthening on fibronectin. Independently of cell spreading, integrin binding and focal adhesion assembly resulted in rapid sevenfold increases in adhesion strength to steady-state levels. Adhesive area strongly modulated adhesion strength, integrin binding, and vinculin and talin recruitment, exhibiting linear increases for small areas. However, above a threshold area, adhesion strength and focal adhesion assembly reached a saturation limit, whereas integrin binding transitioned from a uniform distribution to discrete complexes. Adhesion strength exhibited exponential increases with bound integrin numbers as well as vinculin and talin recruitment, and the relationship between adhesion strength and these biochemical events was accurately described by a simple mechanical model. Furthermore, adhesion strength was regulated by the position of an adhesive patch, comprised of bound integrins and cytoskeletal elements, which generated a constant 200-nN adhesive force. Unexpectedly, focal adhesion assembly, in particular vinculin recruitment, contributed only 30% of the adhesion strength. This work elucidates the roles of adhesive complex size and position in the generation of cell-extracellular matrix forces.

Myoblast proliferation and differentiation on fibronectin-coated self assembled monolayers presenting different surface chemistries.

Biomaterial surface properties modulate protein adsorption and cell adhesion to elicit diverse cellular responses in biomedical and biotechnological applications. We used alkanethiol self-assembled monolayers presenting well-defined chemistries (OH, CH(3), NH(2), and COOH) to analyze the effects of surface chemistry on myoblast proliferation and differentiation. Surfaces were pre-coated with equivalent densities of fibronectin. C2C12 skeletal myoblasts exhibited surface-dependent differences in cell proliferation (COOH = NH(2) > CH(3) = OH). Myogenin and troponin T gene expression levels were up-regulated on CH(3) and OH surfaces compared to other chemistries. Furthermore, immunostaining for sarcomeric myosin revealed surface chemistry-dependent differences in myogenic differentiation following the pattern OH > CH(3) > NH(2) = COOH. Immunostaining analyses of integrin subunits demonstrated surface chemistry-dependent differences in integrin binding to adsorbed fibronectin. OH and CH(3) surfaces supported selective binding of alpha(5)beta(1) integrin while the COOH and NH(2) functionalities displayed binding of both alpha(5)beta(1) and alpha(V)beta(3) Myogenic differentiation correlated with differences in integrin binding; surface chemistries that supported selective binding of alpha(5)beta(1) displayed enhanced differentiation. Finally, blocking beta(1), but not beta(3), integrins inhibited differentiation, implicating specific integrins in the differentiation process. These results demonstrate that surface chemistry modulates myoblast proliferation and differentiation via differences in integrin binding to adsorbed fibronectin.

Focal adhesion kinase modulates cell adhesion strengthening via integrin activation.

Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) is an essential nonreceptor tyrosine kinase regulating cell migration, adhesive signaling, and mechanosensing. Using FAK-null cells expressing FAK under an inducible promoter, we demonstrate that FAK regulates the time-dependent generation of adhesive forces. During the early stages of adhesion, FAK expression in FAK-null cells enhances integrin activation to promote integrin binding and, hence, the adhesion strengthening rate. Importantly, FAK expression regulated integrin activation, and talin was required for the FAK-dependent effects. A role for FAK in integrin activation was confirmed in human fibroblasts with knocked-down FAK expression. The FAK autophosphorylation Y397 site was required for the enhancements in adhesion strengthening and integrin-binding responses. This work demonstrates a novel role for FAK in integrin activation and the time-dependent generation of cell-ECM forces.

A FAK/Src chimera with gain-of-function properties promotes formation of large peripheral adhesions associated with dynamic actin assembly.

Formation of a complex between the tyrosine kinases FAK and Src is a key integrin-mediated signaling event implicated in cell motility, survival, and proliferation. Past studies indicate that FAK functions in the complex primarily as a "scaffold," acting to recruit and activate Src within cell/matrix adhesions. To study the cellular impact of FAK-associated Src signaling we developed a novel gain-of-function approach that involves expressing a chimeric protein with the FAK kinase domain replaced by the Src kinase domain. This FAK/Src chimera is subject to adhesion-dependent activation and promotes tyrosine phosphorylation of p130Cas and paxillin to higher steady-state levels than is achieved by wild-type FAK. When expressed in FAK -/- mouse embryo fibroblasts, the FAK/Src chimera resulted in a striking cellular phenotype characterized by unusual large peripheral adhesions, enhanced adhesive strength, and greatly reduced motility. Live cell imaging of the chimera-expressing FAK -/- cells provided evidence that the large peripheral adhesions are associated with a dynamic actin assembly process that is sensitive to a Src-selective inhibitor. These findings suggest that FAK-associated Src kinase activity has the capacity to promote adhesion integrity and actin assembly.

Cell adhesion strengthening: measurement and analysis.

Cell adhesion to the extracellular matrix is a dynamic process involving numerous focal adhesion components, which act in coordination to strengthen and optimize the mechanical anchorage of cells over time. A method for systematically analyzing the cell adhesion strengthening process and the components involved in this process is described here. The method combines an adhesion strength assay based on applying fluid shearing to a population of cells and quantitative biochemical analyses.

Dynamic compression regulates the expression and synthesis of chondrocyte-specific matrix molecules in bone marrow stromal cells.

The overall objective of the present study was to investigate the mechanotransduction of bovine bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) through the interactions between transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-beta1), dexamethasone, and dynamic compressive loading. Overall, the addition of TGF-beta1 increased cell viability, extracellular matrix (ECM) gene expression, matrix synthesis, and sulfated glycosaminoglycan content over basal construct medium. The addition of dexamethasone further enhanced extracellular matrix gene expression and protein synthesis. There was little stimulation of ECM gene expression or matrix synthesis in any medium group by mechanical loading introduced on day 8. In contrast, there was significant stimulation of ECM gene expression and matrix synthesis in chondrogenic media by dynamic loading introduced on day 16. The level of stimulation was also dependent on the medium supplements, with the samples treated with basal medium being the least responsive and the samples treated with TGF-beta1 and dexamethasone being the most responsive at day 16. Both collagen I and collagen II gene expressions were more responsive to dynamic loading than aggrecan gene expression. Dynamic compression upregulated Smad2/3 phosphorylation in samples treated with basal and TGF-beta1 media. These findings suggest that interactions between mechanical stimuli and TGF-beta signaling may be an important mechanotransduction pathway for BMSCs, and they indicate that mechanosensitivity may vary during the process of chondrogenesis.