title: A molecular smart surface for spatio-temporal studies of cell mobility.
abstract: Active migration in both healthy and malignant cells requires the integration of information derived from soluble signaling molecules with positional information gained from interactions with the extracellular matrix and with other cells. How a cell responds and moves involves complex signaling cascades that guide the directional functions of the cytoskeleton as well as the synthesis and release of proteases that facilitate movement through tissues. The biochemical events of the signaling cascades occur in a spatially and temporally coordinated manner then dynamically shape the cytoskeleton in specific subcellular regions. Therefore, cell migration and invasion involve a precise but constantly changing subcellular nano-architecture. A multidisciplinary effort that combines new surface chemistry and cell biological tools is required to understand the reorganization of cytoskeleton triggered by complex signaling during migration. Here we generate a class of model substrates that modulate the dynamic environment for a variety of cell adhesion and migration experiments. In particular, we use these dynamic substrates to probe in real-time how the interplay between the population of cells, the initial pattern geometry, ligand density, ligand affinity and integrin composition affects cell migration and growth. Whole genome microarray analysis indicates that several classes of genes ranging from signal transduction to cytoskeletal reorganization are differentially regulated depending on the nature of the surface conditions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and the Carolina Center for Genome Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America.
authors.forename: Eun-ju
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and the Carolina Center for Genome Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America; Department of Chemistry and Biology, Centre for Research in Biomolecular Interaction, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and the Carolina Center for Genome Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America.
authors.forename: Eugene W L
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and the Carolina Center for Genome Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America; Department of Chemistry and Biology, Centre for Research in Biomolecular Interaction, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Muhammad N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Yousaf
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016466:CHO Cells; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000502:physiology*; D002460:Cell Line; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D003412:Cricetulus; D003599:Cytoskeleton / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008954:Models, Biological; D013499:Surface Properties