title: Unleashing Cancer Cells on Surfaces Exposing Motogenic IGDQ Peptides.
abstract: Thiolated peptides bearing the Ile-Gly-Asp (IGD) motif, a highly conserved sequence of fibronectin, are used for the preparation of anisotropic self-assembled monolayers (SAM gradients) to study the whole-population migratory behavior of metastatic breast cancer cells (MDA-MB-231 cells). Ile-Gly-Asp-Gln-(IGDQ)-exposing SAMs sustain the adhesion of MDA-MB-231 cells by triggering focal adhesion kinase phosphorylation, similarly to the analogous Gly-Arg-Gly-Asp-(GRGD)-terminating surfaces. However, the biological responses of different cell lines interfaced with the SAM gradients show that only those exposing the IGDQ sequence induce significant migration of MDA-MB-231 cells. In particular, the observed migratory behavior suggests the presence of cell subpopulations associated with a "stationary" or a "migratory" phenotype, the latter determining a considerable cell migration at the sub-cm length scale. These findings are of great importance as they suggest for the first time an active role of biological surfaces exposing the IGD motif in the multicomponent orchestration of cellular signaling involved in the metastatic progression.
authors.affiliation: Namur Research College (NARC) and Department of Chemistry, University of Namur (UNamur), Rue de Bruxelles 61, 5000, Namur, Belgium.|Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, INSTM UdR Trieste, University of Trieste, P.le Europa 1, 34127, Trieste, Italy.
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Corvaglia
authors.affiliation: Namur Research College (NARC) and Department of Chemistry, University of Namur (UNamur), Rue de Bruxelles 61, 5000, Namur, Belgium.
authors.forename: Riccardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Marega
authors.affiliation: Namur Research College (NARC) and Department of Chemistry, University of Namur (UNamur), Rue de Bruxelles 61, 5000, Namur, Belgium.
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: De Leo
authors.affiliation: Cellular Biology Research Unit-NARILIS, University of Namur (UNamur), Rue de Bruxelles 61, 5000, Namur, Belgium.
authors.forename: Carine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Michiels
authors.affiliation: Namur Research College (NARC) and Department of Chemistry, University of Namur (UNamur), Rue de Bruxelles 61, 5000, Namur, Belgium.|Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, INSTM UdR Trieste, University of Trieste, P.le Europa 1, 34127, Trieste, Italy.
authors.forename: Davide
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bonifazi
mesh_terms: D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000187:drug effects; D006046:Gold / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D010455:Peptides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013499:Surface Properties; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D010455:Peptides; D014867:Water; D006046:Gold
keywords: IGD motifs; cancer cells; cell migration; chemical gradients; peptide SAMs