title: Polarization of hippocampal neurons with competitive surface stimuli: contact guidance cues are preferred over chemical ligands.
abstract: Neuronal behaviour is profoundly influenced by extracellular stimuli in many developmental and regeneration processes. Understanding neuron responses and integration of environmental signals could impact the design of successful therapies for neurodegenerative diseases and nerve injuries. Here, we have investigated the influence of localized extracellular cues on polarization (i.e. axon formation) of hippocampal neurons. Electron-beam lithography, microfabrication techniques and protein immobilization were used to create a unique system that provided simultaneous and independent chemical and physical cues to individual neurons. In particular, we analysed competitive responses between simultaneous stimulation with chemical ligands, including immobilized nerve growth factor and laminin, and contact guidance cues mediated by surface topography (i.e. microchannels). Contact guidance cues were preferred 70% of the time over chemical ligands by neurons extending axons, which suggests a stronger stimulation mechanism triggered by topography. This investigation contributes to the understanding of neuronal behaviour on artificial substrates, which is applicable to the creation of artificial environments for neural engineering applications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Institute of Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712-1062, USA.
authors.forename: Natalia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gomez
authors.forename: Shaochen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Christine E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Schmidt
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D016764:Cell Polarity / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003463:Cues; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000166:cytology; D007797:Laminin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D020932:Nerve Growth Factor / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D007797:Laminin; D020932:Nerve Growth Factor