Azobenzene-based sinusoidal surface topography drives focal adhesion confinement and guides collective migration of epithelial cells

• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-71567-w
• Publication Date: 2020-09-18T10:15:41Z
• Authors: Chiara Fedele; Elina Mäntylä; Brian Belardi; Tiama Hamkins-Indik; Silvia Cavalli; Paolo A. Netti; Daniel A. Fletcher; Soile Nymark; Arri Priimagi; Teemu O. Ihalainen
• Keywords: 0301 basic medicine; 570; Focal Adhesions; Surface Properties; Cell Culture Techniques; Epithelial Cells; 216; 217 Medical engineering; 217; Animals; Azo Compounds; Cell Culture Techniques; Cell Movement; Collagen; Dogs; Epithelial Cells; Focal Adhesions; Gene Knockout Techniques; Intercellular Junctions; Madin Darby Canine Kidney Cells; Surface Properties; Zonula Occludens-1 Protein; Article; Madin Darby Canine Kidney Cells; Gene Knockout Techniques; 03 medical and health sciences; Dogs; Intercellular Junctions; Cell Movement; 216 Materials engineering; Zonula Occludens-1 Protein; Animals; Collagen; Azo Compounds

AbstractSurface topography is a key parameter in regulating the morphology and behavior of single cells. At multicellular level, coordinated cell displacements drive many biological events such as embryonic morphogenesis. However, the effect of surface topography on collective migration of epithelium has not been studied in detail. Mastering the connection between surface features and collective cellular behaviour is highly important for novel approaches in tissue engineering and repair. Herein, we used photopatterned microtopographies on azobenzene-containing materials and showed that smooth topographical cues with proper period and orientation can efficiently orchestrate cell alignment in growing epithelium. Furthermore, the experimental system allowed us to investigate how the orientation of the topographical features can alter the speed of wound closure in vitro. Our findings indicate that the extracellular microenvironment topography coordinates their focal adhesion distribution and alignment. These topographic cues are able to guide the collective migration of multicellular systems, even when cell–cell junctions are disrupted.