Block Copolymer Brushes for Completely Decoupled Control of Determinants of Cell–Surface Interactions

Abstract

The known determinants for cell-surface interactions, comprising biochemical cues, patterns, passivating functionality, and control of tether mechanical properties, are fully decoupled in tailored block copolymer brushes synthesized by surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization. Exploiting sequential polymerization of a passivating underlying polyacrylamide (PAAm) block with defined cross-linking followed by a second poly(acrylic acid) block, which can be conjugated with a selective adhesion peptide, hierarchically structured brushes that can be micro-patterned by soft lithography were obtained. The interaction of NIH 3T3 fibroblasts and PaTu 8988t pancreatic tumor cells with brushes that differed only in the stiffness of the hidden PAAm block or only in the peptide ligand, while keeping all other parameters constant, revealing profound differences in cell adhesion and morphology. In particular, cells could only attach well to stiff RGD presenting brushes.

Tailored Combinatorial Microcompartments through the Self‐Organization of Microobjects: Assembly, Characterization, and Cell Studies

“…Thetop sides of the cubes are arranged in space due to microcube assembly and afford unique combinatorial microenvironments in hexagonally close-packed honeycomb arrays (Scheme 1C). Hence objects of identical wettability form assemblies that feature am ultitude of (bio)chemically,n anomechanically,a nd topographically distinctively different 3D microcompartments.T his combinatorial character originates from the spontaneous assembly of the cubes into ordered structures,i nw hich distinctively different cubes of identical wetting properties assemble randomly.I nc onjunction with advanced polymer brush-based strategies that have been shown before to decouple in 2D the determinants of the interactions of cells with their surroundings, [11] this may pave the way to systematic structure-property studies to elucidate important relationships for an enhanced understanding of cell behavior.…”

Tailored Combinatorial Microcompartments through the Self‐Organization of Microobjects: Assembly, Characterization, and Cell Studies

“…This combinatorial character originates from the spontaneous assembly of the cubes into ordered structures, in which distinctively different cubes of identical wetting properties assemble randomly. In conjunction with advanced polymer brush‐based strategies that have been shown before to decouple in 2D the determinants of the interactions of cells with their surroundings, this may pave the way to systematic structure–property studies to elucidate important relationships for an enhanced understanding of cell behavior.…”

Surfaces functionalized with hierarchical polymer brushes and their biomedical applications

“…利用高分子刷对纳米孔功能化 [78,79] , 还可以实现 人工纳米通道对分子和离子运输的智能调控, 被广泛 [77] (网络版彩图) [46] (网络版彩图) 图 20 生物功能嵌段高分子刷(PAAm/bisAAm-b-PAA)结 构. 交联在初始聚合的PAAm嵌段内实现, 而黏附肽RGD键 合到随后的PAA嵌段, 提供信号传递 [83] (网络版彩图) Figure 20 The biofunctional block-copolymer brush (PAAm/bi-sAAm-b-PAA) architecture. The crosslinking is implemented in the initially polymerized PAAm block, while the adhesion peptide RGD, conjugated to the subsequently polymerized PAA block, affords the signaling [83] 图 21 RGD肽梯度深度结构及其对细胞定向迁移的调节作 用. PHEMA厚度增加方向定义为"+X"方向 [84] (网络版彩图) Figure 21 Schematic illustration to show the structure of depth localization gradient of RGD peptides and its mediation of directional cell migration.…”