Positioning and guidance of neurons on gold surfaces by directed assembly of proteins using Atomic Force Microscopy

Staii, Cristian; Viesselmann, Chris; Ballweg, Jason; Shi, Lei; Liu, Gang-yu; Williams, Justin; Dent, Erik W.; Coppersmith, S. N.; Eriksson, M. A.

doi:10.1016/j.biomaterials.2009.03.027

Cited by 47 publications

(63 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…For example, growth promoting molecules can be patterned on different substrates via AFM nanolithography ('nanoshaving') [57,58]. Cantilevers can be attached to cells and cell-substrate [59] and cell-cell adhesion forces directly measured [60].…”

Section: Further Afm Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Atomic force microscopy and its contribution to understanding the development of the nervous system

Franze

2011

Current Opinion in Genetics & Development

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Section: Further Afm Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Atomic force microscopy and its contribution to understanding the development of the nervous system

Franze

2011

Current Opinion in Genetics & Development

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“…Neuronal cells have been cultured on a variety of scaffolds including biopolymers, silk, and hydrogels 3 as well as grown in alignment on patterned surfaces. 4,5 These surfaces also provide physical guidance, and chemical support for neuronal cell adherence, axonal extension, network formation, and function. The axons, and in particular their dynamic unit known as the growth cone are able to detect and respond to environmental signals such as functionalization of surfaces with extracellular matrix proteins, biomolecules released by neighboring neurons at extremely low concentrations (molecular level), substrate stiffness and topographical and geometrical cues.…”

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confidence: 99%

Neuronal alignment on asymmetric textured surfaces

et al. 2012

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Axonal growth and the formation of synaptic connections are key steps in the development of the nervous system. Here, we present experimental and theoretical results on axonal growth and interconnectivity in order to elucidate some of the basic rules that neuronal cells use for functional connections with one another. We demonstrate that a unidirectional nanotextured surface can bias axonal growth. We perform a systematic investigation of neuronal processes on asymmetric surfaces and quantify the role that biomechanical surface cues play in neuronal growth. These results represent an important step towards engineering directed axonal growth for neuro-regeneration studies. These surfaces also provide physical guidance, and chemical support for neuronal cell adherence, axonal extension, network formation, and function. The axons, and in particular their dynamic unit known as the growth cone are able to detect and respond to environmental signals such as functionalization of surfaces with extracellular matrix proteins, biomolecules released by neighboring neurons at extremely low concentrations (molecular level), substrate stiffness and topographical and geometrical cues. 6 Over the past decade, there has been rapid progress in our understanding of the role played by chemical signaling and surface-based biochemical guidance on the growth cone dynamics and axonal elongation. For example, it is known that axonal navigation to their target depends on the precise arrangement of extracellular proteins on the growth surfaces. 2,6,7 It is also now recognized that mechanical interactions between neurons and their environment are playing an essential role in neuronal growth and development. 5,8 However, the neuronal response to mechanical and topographical stimuli, and the details of cell-surface interactions such as adhesion forces and traction stress generated during growth are currently poorly understood. 9,10Directional surfaces composed of asymmetric structures are widely used in nature for wet and dry adhesion.11 Inspired by these surfaces, Demirel et al. synthesized an asymmetric textured surface 12 and reported an engineered nanotextured surface deriving its anisotropic adhesive wetting directly from its asymmetric nanoscale roughness. 13 In an earlier study, Demirel et al. studied the fibroblast adhesion and removal on directional nanofilms, 14 using a fluidic shear stress to remove cells from a microfluidic channel. It has been shown that cells were removed with lower shear stresses when the flow was in the direction of nanorod tilt, compared to flow against the tilt.14 Adhesion and retraction under asymmetric mechanical cues demonstrated unique properties. 15Cell polarization (i.e., response to external cues such as chemical gradients and mechanical deformation) has been studied extensively on textured surfaces to understand cell fate. 16 However, unidirectional polarization in response to surface mechanical cues has not been demonstrated earlier.Here, we report axonal extension and network formation on asymmetri...

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“…These studies show that physical stimuli (gradients of various molecular species, stiffness of the growth substrate, traction forces generated during axonal extension etc.) play a key role in the wiring of the nervous system [3][4][5][6][7][8][9]. However, our current understanding of neuronal growth is mostly qualitative, the vast complexity of the parameter space still prohibiting fully quantitative predictions of outcomes from given initial conditions such as: geometry of the neuronal circuit, type of biochemical cues on the growth substrate, topography or mechanical properties of the substrate.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…(2) and (3) we obtain an effective potential: (4) The normalization constant N in Eq. 4, may be ignored, as it has no bearing on the final form of the normalized solution p(v,t).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, an alternative approach [3,4] is often used to uncover the basic rules that underlie the formation of functional neuronal connections. Within this approach one aims to create a simplified neuronal growth environment in vitro and to systematically investigate the effect that various cues: chemotactic, biochemical, mechanical, and topographical, have on the formation of neuronal networks.…”

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Neuronal growth as diffusion in an effective potential

et al. 2013

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Current understanding of neuronal growth is mostly qualitative, as the staggering number of physical and chemical guidance cues involved prohibit a fully quantitative description of axonal dynamics. We report on a general approach that describes axonal growth in vitro, on poly-Dlysine coated glass substrates, as diffusion in an effective external potential, representing the collective contribution of all causal influences on the growth cone. We use this approach to obtain effective growth rules that reveal an emergent regulatory mechanism for axonal pathfinding on these substrates.

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Positioning and guidance of neurons on gold surfaces by directed assembly of proteins using Atomic Force Microscopy

Cited by 47 publications

References 34 publications

Atomic force microscopy and its contribution to understanding the development of the nervous system

Atomic force microscopy and its contribution to understanding the development of the nervous system

Neuronal alignment on asymmetric textured surfaces

Neuronal growth as diffusion in an effective potential

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