Micropatterned Surfaces for Control of Cell Shape, Position, and Function

TLDR

Cell position and function are central to biosensors and tissue engineering, and prior work indicates that cell shape influences apoptosis and growth. The study tests whether micropatterned substrates can control cell shape to regulate apoptosis versus growth. Micropatterned substrates were fabricated by microcontact printing of alkanethiolate self‑assembled monolayers on gold to create micrometer‑scale extracellular‑matrix islands separated by nonadhesive gaps that dictate endothelial cell distribution. Smaller adhesive islands restricted endothelial cell spreading, inducing a continuum from growth to apoptosis and confirming that cell shape governs function, underscoring the utility of micropatterning for biosurface devices and cell–ECM biology.

Abstract

The control of cell position and function is a fundamental focus in the development of applications ranging from cellular biosensors to tissue engineering. Using microcontact printing of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of alkanethiolates on gold, we manufactured substrates that contained micrometer-scale islands of extracellular matrix (ECM) separated by nonadhesive regions such that the pattern of islands determined the distribution and position of bovine and human endothelial cells. In addition, the size and geometry of the islands were shown to control cell shape. Traditional approaches to modulate cell shape, either by attaching suspended cells to microbeads of different sizes or by plating cells on substrates coated with different densities of ECM, suggested that cell shape may play an important role in control of apoptosis as well as growth. Data are presented which show how micropatterned substrates were used to definitively test this hypothesis. Progressively restricting bovine and human endothelial cell extension by culturing cells on smaller and smaller micropatterned adhesive islands regulated a transition from growth to apoptosis on a single continuum of cell spreading, thus confirming the central role of cell shape in cell function. The micropatterning technology is therefore essential not only for construction of biosurface devices but also for the investigation of the fundamental biology of cell−ECM interactions.