title: Surface topography and chemistry shape cellular behavior on wide band-gap semiconductors.
abstract: The chemical stability and electrical properties of gallium nitride make it a promising material for the development of biocompatible electronics, a range of devices including biosensors as well as interfaces for probing and controlling cellular growth and signaling. To improve the interface formed between the probe material and the cell or biosystem, surface topography and chemistry can be applied to modify the ways in which the device interacts with its environment. PC12 cells are cultured on as-grown planar, unidirectionally polished, etched nanoporous and nanowire GaN surfaces with and without a physisorbed peptide sequence that promotes cell adhesion. While cells demonstrate preferential adhesion to roughened surfaces over as-grown flat surfaces, the topography of that roughness also influences the morphology of cellular adhesion and differentiation in neurotypic cells. Addition of the peptide sequence generally contributes further to cellular adhesion and promotes development of stereotypic long, thin neurite outgrowths over alternate morphologies. The dependence of cell behavior on both the topographic morphology and surface chemistry is thus demonstrated, providing further evidence for the importance of surface modification for modulating bio-inorganic interfaces.
authors.affiliation: UNC/NCSU Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27606, USA.
authors.forename: Lauren E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Bain
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27606, USA.
authors.forename: Ramon
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Collazo
authors.affiliation: Birck Nanotechnology Center, School of Materials Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA.
authors.forename: Shu-Han
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA.
authors.forename: Nicole Pfiester
authors.initials: NP
authors.lastname: Latham
authors.affiliation: Birck Nanotechnology Center, School of Materials Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA; Department of Physics, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA; School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA.
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Manfra
authors.affiliation: UNC/NCSU Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27606, USA; Department of Materials Science and Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27606, USA. Electronic address: Ivanisevic@ncsu.edu.
authors.forename: Albena
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ivanisevic
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D016716:PC12 Cells; D051381:Rats; D012666:Semiconductors; D013499:Surface Properties
keywords: Cell differentiation; Gallium nitride; Rat pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells; Surface chemistry; Surface topography