title: Simple micropatterning method for enhancing fusion efficiency and responsiveness to electrical stimulation of C2C12 myotubes.
abstract: Cultured myotubes induced in vitro from myoblast cell lines have been widely used to investigate muscle functional properties and disease-related biological phenotypes. Until now, several cell patterning techniques have been applied to regulate in vitro myotube structures. However, these previous studies required specific geometry patterns or soft materials for inducing efficient myotube formation. Thus, more simple and easy handling method will be promising. In this study, we aimed to provide a method to form C2C12 myotubes with regulated sizes and orientations in simple line patterns. We used a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) stamp and a 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC) polymer solution to fabricate line patterns for myotube formation onto a culture dish. We confirmed that C2C12 myotubes of well-defined size and orientation were reproducibly formed. In particular, myotubes formed in the micropatterned lines showed the increased fusion efficiency. Then, functional dynamics in the micropatterned myotubes were detected and analyzed using a calcium imaging method. We confirmed micropatterning in line patterns enhanced the responsiveness of myotubes to external electrical stimulations. These results indicate that micropatterning myoblasts with the MPC polymer is a simple and effective method to form functional myotube networks.
authors.affiliation: Mesenchymal Stem Cell Dynamics Research Team, Research Center for Stem Cell Engineering, National Inst. of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Central 4, 1-1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8562, Japan; Dept. of Information Physics and Computing, Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8656, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuzo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takayama
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wagatsuma
authors.forename: Takayuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hoshino
authors.forename: Kunihiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mabuchi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D060846:Cell Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D002460:Cell Line; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D051379:Mice; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D055616:Microtechnology; D018485:Muscle Fibers, Skeletal / Q000166:cytology* / Q000528:radiation effects; D032448:Myoblasts, Skeletal / Q000166:cytology / Q000528:radiation effects
chemical_list: D002118:Calcium
keywords: calcium imaging; electrical stimulation; micropatterning; myotubes