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Biomaterials - Materials

Objectives

  • To design, fabricate and characterize materials that control both chemical and physical aspects of receptor-mediated interactions with the adhesion/migration environment
  • to control nano-scale clustering of integrins using adhesion peptides (adhesive patterns)
  • to create defined spatial gradients of integrin ligands (adhesive gradients)
  • to create substrates localize EGF receptor signaling to the cell surface to study the effect of EGFR stimulation on integrin function
  • to generate reversible cell capture surfaces to allow multimode microscopy (TIRF and scanning EM)
  • to link specific integrin ligation to substrates with well defined mechanical properties to measure integrin force generation.
  • to generate protein non-adhesive surfaces for molecular assays

Collaboration and Release Policy

Substrates Available through the Consortium

Substrate Utility Publication Contact
Adhesion ligands on inert background Provides defined adhesive conditions due to relative specificity of ligands and supression of adsorption of proteins present in serum or secreted by cells. Irvine et al., 2001 Nanoscale clustering of RGD peptides at polymer surfaces using comb polymers: I. Synthesis and characterization of comb thin films. Griffith
Cell migration gradients Cell adhesion peptide and protein monolayer gradient Provides well-defined spatial distribution of cell adhesive conditions by spreading RGD-containing peptides and proteins and mapping their distribution with quantitative accuracy. Plummer ST, Wang X, Bohn PW, Stockton R, Schwartz MA. 2003. Electrochemically-Derived Gradients of the Extracellular Matrix Protein Fibronectin on Gold. Langmuir 19:7528-7536. Bohn
Cell signaling molecule gradient Provides well-defined spatial distribution of cell signaling molecules by spreading signal initiators and mapping their distribution with quantitative accuracy. Bohn
Inert (non-adhesive) surfaces Provide non-adhesive sustrate to perform molecular assays (eg; polymerization of cytoskeletal proteins) Irvine et al., 2001 Nanoscale clustering of RGD peptides at polymer surfaces using comb polymers: I. Synthesis and characterization of comb thin films. Griffith
Multi-ligand gradients Provides well-defined spatial distribution of cell adhesive conditions and cell signaling molecules by making complementary gradients of adhesive peptides and proteins and signaling molecules and mapping their distribution with quantitative accuracy. Bohn
Nano-clustered adhesion ligands on inert background Migration on defined adhesion ligand substrates (some ligands must be clustered); Studies of the role of integrin clustering; Koo et al., 2002 Coregulation of cell adhesion by nanoscale RGD organization and mechanical stimulus. Maheshwari et al, 2000 Cell adhesion and motility depend on nanoscale RGD clustering. Griffith
Tethered EGF on adhesive background Provides surface-restricted EGFR stimulation Kuhl and Griffith-Cima, 1996 Tethered epidermal growth factor as a paradigm for growth factor-induced stimulation from the solid phase. Griffith
Clear micropatterned substrates Compatible with all standard light and platinum replica electron microscopy approaches In progress Borisy (Grzybowski)
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