title: How cells respond to environmental cues - insights from bio-functionalized substrates.
abstract: Biomimetic materials have long been the (he)art of bioengineering. They usually aim at mimicking in vivo conditions to allow in vitro culture, differentiation and expansion of cells. The past decade has witnessed a considerable amount of progress in soft lithography, bio-inspired micro-fabrication and biochemistry, allowing the design of sophisticated and physiologically relevant micro- and nano-environments. These systems now provide an exquisite toolbox with which we can control a large set of physicochemical environmental parameters that determine cell behavior. Bio-functionalized surfaces have evolved from simple protein-coated solid surfaces or cellular extracts into nano-textured 3D surfaces with controlled rheological and topographical properties. The mechanobiological molecular processes by which cells interact and sense their environment can now be unambiguously understood down to the single-molecule level. This Commentary highlights recent successful examples where bio-functionalized substrates have contributed in raising and answering new questions in the area of extracellular matrix sensing by cells, cell-cell adhesion and cell migration. The use, the availability, the impact and the challenges of such approaches in the field of biology are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, Barcelona 08003, Spain.|Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Verena
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ruprecht
authors.affiliation: IFOM, Via Adamello, 16, Milano 20139, Italy.
authors.forename: Pascale
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Monzo
authors.affiliation: Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore, 5A Engineering Drive 1, 117411, Singapore.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ravasio
authors.affiliation: Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore, 5A Engineering Drive 1, 117411, Singapore.
authors.forename: Zhang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yue
authors.affiliation: Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore, 5A Engineering Drive 1, 117411, Singapore.
authors.forename: Ekta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Makhija
authors.affiliation: CNRS, Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, UMR 5297, Bordeaux F-33000, France.
authors.forename: Pierre Olivier
authors.initials: PO
authors.lastname: Strale
authors.affiliation: IFOM, Via Adamello, 16, Milano 20139, Italy.
authors.forename: Nils
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gauthier
authors.affiliation: IFOM, Via Adamello, 16, Milano 20139, Italy.|Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore, 5A Engineering Drive 1, 117411, Singapore.
authors.forename: G V
authors.initials: GV
authors.lastname: Shivashankar
authors.affiliation: CNRS, Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, UMR 5297, Bordeaux F-33000, France.
authors.forename: Vincent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Studer
authors.affiliation: INSERM, U1209, CNRS UMR 5309, Institute for Advanced Biosciences, Institute Albert Bonniot, University Grenoble Alpes, La Tronche F-38700, France.
authors.forename: Corinne
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Albiges-Rizo
authors.affiliation: Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore, 5A Engineering Drive 1, 117411, Singapore virgile.viasnoff@espci.fr.|CNRS UMI 3639, 5A Engineering Drive 1, 117411 Singapore.
authors.forename: Virgile
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-3949-2244
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Viasnoff
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D040761:Biomimetic Materials / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002450:Cell Communication / Q000187:drug effects; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000187:drug effects; D003463:Cues; D004777:Environment; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans
keywords: Biomimetic interface; Environmental sensing; In vitro culture; Mechanobiology; Mechanosensing; Microniches