title: "Gap guidance" of fibroblasts and epithelial cells by discontinuous edged surfaces.
abstract: Cell adhesion, shape, and directed migration are some of the fundamental processes underlying tissue development and organization. The setting of geometric limits on cellular behavior has led to the hypothesis that a continuous edge is required to elongate a cell and guide its direction of movement. The aim of this study was to examine the validity of this hypothesis by examining the response of human gingival fibroblasts and periodontal ligament epithelial cells, to microfabricated surfaces that incorporate discontinuous edges. Cell response was assessed through spreading, morphology, cytoskeletal organization, and time-lapse microscopy, on substrata with a pattern of repeated open boxes with gaps at the corners. Fibroblasts attached and spread within 6 h, adopting either a square, triangular, or diagonally elongated morphology. Epithelial cells took longer to adhere, but were observed to adopt morphologies similar to those of the fibroblasts. Addition of colcemid or cytochalasin-D attenuated the orientation and alignment of both fibroblasts and epithelial cells. Fibroblasts and epithelial cell migration was guided diagonally in their movement through gaps in the square pattern, demonstrating that a continuous edge is not a prerequisite for guided cell migration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral, Biological, and Medical Sciences, University of British Columbia, 2199 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, B.C., Canada V6T 1Z3.
authors.forename: D W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Hamilton
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Brunette
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000502:physiology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D015638:Cytochalasin D / Q000494:pharmacology; D003599:Cytoskeleton / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D003703:Demecolcine / Q000494:pharmacology; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006801:Humans; D013552:Swine
chemical_list: D015638:Cytochalasin D; D003703:Demecolcine