The chemokine CXCL12 is a potent chemoattractant that guides the migration of muscle precursor cells (myoblasts) during myogenesis and muscle regeneration. To study how the molecular presentation of chemokines influences myoblast adhesion and motility, we designed multifunctional biomimetic surfaces as a tuneable signalling platform that enabled the response of myoblasts to selected extracellular cues to be studied in a well-defined environment. Using this platform, we demonstrate that CXCL12 , when presented by its natural extracellular matrix ligand heparan sulfate (HS), enables the adhesion and spreading of myoblasts and facilitates their active migration. In contrast, myoblasts also adhered and spread on CXCL12 that was quasi-irreversibly surface-bound in the absence of HS, but were essentially immotile. Moreover, co-presentation of the cyclic RGD peptide as integrin ligand along with HS-bound CXCL12 led to enhanced spreading and motility, in a way that indicates cooperation between CXCR4 (the CXCL12 receptor) and integrins (the RGD receptors). Our findings reveal the critical role of HS in CXCL12 induced myoblast adhesion and migration. The biomimetic surfaces developed here hold promise for mechanistic studies of cellular responses to different presentations of biomolecules. They may be broadly applicable for dissecting the signalling pathways underlying receptor cross-talks, and thus may guide the development of novel biomaterials that promote highly specific cellular responses.
KeywordsGlycosaminoglycan; chemokine; cell adhesion and migration; biomimetics; bioactive surfaces; extracellular matrix 3
IntroductionMuscle development and repair are highly organized processes orchestrated by muscle progenitor cells and crucial for body function [1]: skeletal muscle stem cells (satellite cells) that are typically quiescent undergo a series of modifications including activation, proliferation and differentiation into myoblasts in response to muscle injury, and in vitro studies have shown that the migration of myoblasts is crucial for myogenesis and muscle regeneration [2][3][4]. Cell adhesion and migration are early events necessary to achieve cell-cell contacts, which are essential for the alignment of myoblasts, their subsequent fusion and formation of myotubes [2,[4][5][6]. Migration is a complex process that is guided by chemokines, small soluble signalling proteins that exhibit chemoattractant properties [7]. Chemokines are secreted in response to injury but they are also required for the migration of muscle precursor cells during embryogenesis [6]. In particular, the chemokine CXCL12 , previously called stromal cell-derived factor-1 , SDF-1 , and its major receptor CXCR4 have been shown to be important for the migration of myoblasts during myogenesis and muscle regeneration, both in vivo [6,[8][9][10] and in vitro [11][12][13].Once secreted, chemokines are usually sequestered and presented to the cells via the extracellular matrix (ECM), notably via glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) such as heparan sulf...