Reconfigurable microfluidics with integrated aptasensors for monitoring intercellular communication.
We report the development of a microsystem integrating anti-TNF-α aptasensors with vacuum-actuatable microfluidic devices that may be used to monitor intercellular communications. Actuatable chambers were used to expose to mitogen a group of ~600 cells while not stimulating another group of monocytes only 600 μm away. Co-localizing groups of cells with miniature 300 μm diameter aptamer-modified electrodes enabled monitoring of TNF-α release from each group independently. The microsystem allowed observation of the sequence of events that included 1) mitogenic activation of the first group of monocytes to produce TNF-α, 2) diffusion of TNF-α to the location of the second group of cells and 3) activation of the second group of cells resulting in the production of TNF-α by these cells. Thus, we were able to experimentally verify reciprocal paracrine crosstalk between the two groups of cells secreting the same signalling molecule. Given the prevalence of such cellular communications during injury, cancer or immune response and the dearth of available monitoring techniques, the microsystem described here is envisioned to have significant impact on cell biology.
Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Davis, Genome and Biomedical Sciences Building, 451 Health Sciences Drive Room 2619, Davis, CA 95616, United States. arevzin@ucdavis.edu.
Timothy
T
Kwa
Qing
Q
Zhou
Yandong
Y
Gao
Ali
A
Rahimian
Lydia
L
Kwon
Ying
Y
Liu
Alexander
A
Revzin
D052157:Aptamers, Nucleotide / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D055664:Electrochemical Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D004566:Electrodes; D004867:Equipment Design; D006801:Humans; D008751:Methylene Blue / Q000737:chemistry; D046210:Microfluidic Analytical Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D009000:Monocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D019899:Paracrine Communication; D011485:Protein Binding; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D020298:U937 Cells
D052157:Aptamers, Nucleotide; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D008751:Methylene Blue