title: Fibronectin fibrillogenesis on sulfonated polystyrene surfaces.
abstract: Extracellular matrix (ECM) protein adsorption and organization serves as a critical first step in the development and organization of tissues. Advances in tissue engineering, therefore, will depend on the ability to control the rate and pattern of ECM formation. Fibronectin is a prominent component of the ECM, which undergoes fibrillogenesis in the presence of cells. Using sulfonated polysyrene surfaces, we showed that fibronectin undergoes a transition from monolayer to multilayer adsorption at calculated surface charge densities above 0.03 Coulombs (C)/m(2). At charge densities above approximately 0.08 C/m(2), distinct fibronectin fibrillar networks are observed to form with a fibril morphology similar to those observed to form in situ on cell surfaces. This self-organization process is time dependent, with the fibrils achieving dimensions of 30-40 microm in length and 1 microm in height after 72 h of incubation. We suggest that the polarization of charge domains on the polyampholytic fibronectin molecules near high charge density surfaces is sufficient to initiate the multilayer adsorption and the organization of these fibrillar structures. These results suggest that the nonlinear dependence of adsorption on surface charge density may play an important role in the self-organization of many matrix components.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Orthopaedics and Materials Science and Engineering, State University of New York, Stony Brook, New York 11794-5281, USA.
authors.forename: Nadine
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pernodet
authors.forename: Miriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rafailovich
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sokolov
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Nan-Loh
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Kenneth
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: McLeod
mesh_terms: D000327:Adsorption; D000476:Alkanesulfonates / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D005353:Fibronectins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D011137:Polystyrenes / Q000378:metabolism*; D011487:Protein Conformation; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D000476:Alkanesulfonates; D005353:Fibronectins; D011137:Polystyrenes