title: Interaction of leech neurons with topographical gratings: comparison with rodent and human neuronal lines and primary cells.
abstract: Controlling and improving neuronal cell migration and neurite outgrowth are critical elements of tissue engineering applications and development of artificial neuronal interfaces. To this end, a promising approach exploits nano/microstructured surfaces, which have been demonstrated to be capable of tuning neuronal differentiation, polarity, migration and neurite orientation. Here, we investigate the neurite contact guidance of leech neurons on plastic gratings (GRs; anisotropic topographies composed of alternating lines of grooves and ridges). By high-resolution microscopy, we quantitatively evaluate the changes in tubulin cytoskeleton organization and cell morphology and in the neurite and growth cone development. The topography-reading process of leech neurons on GRs is mediated by filopodia and is more responsive to 4-µm-period GRs than to smaller period GRs. Leech neuron behaviour on GRs is finally compared and validated with several other neuronal cells, from murine differentiated embryonic stem cells and primary hippocampal neurons to differentiated human neuroblastoma cells.
authors: NEST, Scuola Normale Superiore and Istituto Nanoscienze-CNR , Piazza San Silvestro 12, Pisa 56127 , Italy.
authors: Ilaria
authors: I
authors: Tonazzini
authors: Scuola Normale Superiore , Piazza dei Cavalieri 7, Pisa 56126 , Italy.
authors: Monica
authors: M
authors: Pellegrini
authors: Dipartimento di Ricerca Traslazionale e Delle Nuove Tecnologie in Medicina e Chirurgia , Università di Pisa , Via S. Zeno 31, 56127 Pisa , Italy.
authors: Mario
authors: M
authors: Pellegrino
authors: NEST, Scuola Normale Superiore and Istituto Nanoscienze-CNR , Piazza San Silvestro 12, Pisa 56127 , Italy.
authors: Marco
authors: M
authors: Cecchini
keywords: contact guidance; filopodia; gratings; growth cones; mechanotransduction; neurite