title: Cellular contact guidance through dynamic sensing of nanotopography.
abstract: We investigate the effects of surface nanotopography on the migration and cell shape dynamics of the amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum. Multiple prior studies have implicated the patterning of focal adhesions in contact guidance. However, we observe significant contact guidance of Dictyostelium along surfaces with nanoscale ridges or grooves, even though this organism lacks integrin-based adhesions. Cells that move parallel to nanoridges are faster, more protrusive at their fronts, and more elongated than are cells that move perpendicular to nanoridges. Quantitative studies show that nanoridges spaced 1.5 μm apart exhibit the greatest contact guidance efficiency. Because Dictyostelium cells exhibit oscillatory shape dynamics, we model contact guidance as a process in which stochastic cellular harmonic oscillators couple to the periodicity of the nanoridges. In support of this connection, we find that nanoridges nucleate actin polymerization waves of nanoscale width that propagate parallel to the nanoridges.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, ‡Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and §Institute for Physical Science and Technology, University of Maryland , College Park, Maryland, United States.
authors.forename: Meghan K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Driscoll
authors.forename: Xiaoyu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Can
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Guven
authors.forename: John T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Fourkas
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Losert
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000737:chemistry; D002465:Cell Movement; D048430:Cell Shape; D004023:Dictyostelium / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D022001:Focal Adhesions / Q000378:metabolism; D016023:Integrins / Q000378:metabolism; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D055503:Protein Multimerization; D020836:Protein Structure, Quaternary; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D016023:Integrins