1. Complex Stiffness Gradient Substrates for Studying Mechanotactic Cell Migration
- Author
-
Kristian Franze, Cheng-Hwa R. Kuo, Easan Sivaniah, James D. Brenton, and Jian Xian
- Subjects
musculoskeletal diseases ,animal structures ,Materials science ,Surface Properties ,Polyacrylamide ,Acrylic Resins ,Mechanotransduction, Cellular ,Mice ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Cell Movement ,Elastic Modulus ,medicine ,Animals ,General Materials Science ,Composite material ,Elastic modulus ,Durotaxis ,Atomic force microscopy ,Mechanical Engineering ,Stiffness ,Cell migration ,3T3 Cells ,equipment and supplies ,musculoskeletal system ,body regions ,chemistry ,Mechanics of Materials ,medicine.symptom ,Layer (electronics) - Abstract
Polyacrylamide gels are cast upon a stiff support with controlled topography, resulting in a thin gel layer of variable height. The topographical profiles project a stiffness map onto the gel, resulting in controlled linear and non-linear 2D stiffness gradients. Fibroblasts, which migrate towards stiffer substrates, accumulate in areas with a gel thickness below 15 μm.
- Published
- 2012