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Lai H, Huo X, Han Y, Hu M, Kong X, Yin J, Qian J. Electrowriting patterns and electric field harness directional cell migration for skin wound healing. Mater Today Bio 2024; 26:101083. [PMID: 38757058 PMCID: PMC11097089 DOI: 10.1016/j.mtbio.2024.101083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2024] [Revised: 04/20/2024] [Accepted: 05/03/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Directional cell migration is a crucial step in wound healing, influenced by electrical and topographic stimulations. However, the underlying mechanism and the combined effects of these two factors on cell migration remain unclear. This study explores cell migration under various combinations of guided straight line (SL) spacing, conductivity, and the relative direction of electric field (EF) and SL. Electrowriting is employed to fabricate conductive (multiwalled carbon nanotube/polycaprolactone (PCL)) and nonconductive (PCL) SL, with narrow (50 μm) and wide (400 μm) spacing that controls the topographic stimulation strength. Results show that various combinations of electrical and topographic stimulation yield significantly distinct effects on cell migration direction and speed; cells migrate fastest with the most directivity in the case of conductive, narrow-spacing SL parallel to EF. A physical model based on intercellular interactions is developed to capture the underlying mechanism of cell migration under SL and EF stimulations, in agreement with experimental observations. In vivo skin wound healing assay further confirmed that the combination of EF (1 V cm-1) and parallelly aligned conductive fibers accelerated the wound healing process. This study presents a promising approach to direct cell migration and enhance wound healing by optimizing synergistic electrical and topographic stimulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huinan Lai
- Department of Engineering Mechanics, Key Laboratory of Soft Machines and Smart Devices of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xiaodan Huo
- The State Key Laboratory of Fluid Power Transmission and Control Systems, Key Laboratory of 3D Printing Process and Equipment of Zhejiang Province, School of Mechanical Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Ying Han
- The State Key Laboratory of Fluid Power Transmission and Control Systems, Key Laboratory of 3D Printing Process and Equipment of Zhejiang Province, School of Mechanical Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Minyu Hu
- Department of Engineering Mechanics, Key Laboratory of Soft Machines and Smart Devices of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xiangren Kong
- Department of Engineering Mechanics, Key Laboratory of Soft Machines and Smart Devices of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jun Yin
- The State Key Laboratory of Fluid Power Transmission and Control Systems, Key Laboratory of 3D Printing Process and Equipment of Zhejiang Province, School of Mechanical Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jin Qian
- Department of Engineering Mechanics, Key Laboratory of Soft Machines and Smart Devices of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- The State Key Laboratory of Fluid Power Transmission and Control Systems, Key Laboratory of 3D Printing Process and Equipment of Zhejiang Province, School of Mechanical Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
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2
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Shim G, Breinyn IB, Martínez-Calvo A, Rao S, Cohen DJ. Bioelectric stimulation controls tissue shape and size. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2938. [PMID: 38580690 PMCID: PMC10997591 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47079-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 03/20/2024] [Indexed: 04/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Epithelial tissues sheath organs and electro-mechanically regulate ion and water transport to regulate development, homeostasis, and hydrostatic organ pressure. Here, we demonstrate how external electrical stimulation allows us to control these processes in living tissues. Specifically, we electrically stimulate hollow, 3D kidneyoids and gut organoids and find that physiological-strength electrical stimulation of ∼ 5 - 10 V/cm powerfully inflates hollow tissues; a process we call electro-inflation. Electro-inflation is mediated by increased ion flux through ion channels/transporters and triggers subsequent osmotic water flow into the lumen, generating hydrostatic pressure that competes against cytoskeletal tension. Our computational studies suggest that electro-inflation is strongly driven by field-induced ion crowding on the outer surface of the tissue. Electrically stimulated tissues also break symmetry in 3D resulting from electrotaxis and affecting tissue shape. The ability of electrical cues to regulate tissue size and shape emphasizes the role and importance of the electrical micro-environment for living tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gawoon Shim
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, 08540, NJ, USA
| | - Isaac B Breinyn
- Department of Quantitative and Computational Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, 08540, NJ, USA
| | - Alejandro Martínez-Calvo
- Princeton Center for Theoretical Science, Princeton University, Princeton, 08540, NJ, USA
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, 08540, NJ, USA
| | - Sameeksha Rao
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, 08540, NJ, USA
| | - Daniel J Cohen
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, 08540, NJ, USA.
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3
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Nwogbaga I, Kim AH, Camley BA. Physical limits on galvanotaxis. Phys Rev E 2023; 108:064411. [PMID: 38243498 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.108.064411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 01/21/2024]
Abstract
Eukaryotic cells can polarize and migrate in response to electric fields via "galvanotaxis," which aids wound healing. Experimental evidence suggests cells sense electric fields via molecules on the cell's surface redistributing via electrophoresis and electroosmosis, though the sensing species has not yet been conclusively identified. We develop a model that links sensor redistribution and galvanotaxis using maximum likelihood estimation. Our model predicts a single universal curve for how galvanotactic directionality depends on field strength. We can collapse measurements of galvanotaxis in keratocytes, neural crest cells, and granulocytes to this curve, suggesting that stochasticity due to the finite number of sensors may limit galvanotactic accuracy. We find cells can achieve experimentally observed directionalities with either a few (∼100) highly polarized sensors or many (∼10^{4}) sensors with an ∼6-10% change in concentration across the cell. We also identify additional signatures of galvanotaxis via sensor redistribution, including the presence of a tradeoff between accuracy and variance in cells being controlled by rapidly switching fields. Our approach shows how the physics of noise at the molecular scale can limit cell-scale galvanotaxis, providing important constraints on sensor properties and allowing for new tests to determine the specific molecules underlying galvanotaxis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ifunanya Nwogbaga
- Thomas C. Jenkins Department of Biophysics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA
| | - A Hyun Kim
- Thomas C. Jenkins Department of Biophysics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA
| | - Brian A Camley
- Thomas C. Jenkins Department of Biophysics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA
- William H. Miller III Department of Physics & Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA
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4
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Leal J, Shaner S, Jedrusik N, Savelyeva A, Asplund M. Electrotaxis evokes directional separation of co-cultured keratinocytes and fibroblasts. Sci Rep 2023; 13:11444. [PMID: 37454232 PMCID: PMC10349865 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-38664-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Bioelectric communication plays a significant role in several cellular processes and biological mechanisms, such as division, differentiation, migration, cancer metastasis, and wound healing. Ion flow across cellular walls leads to potential gradients and subsequent formation of constant or time-varying electric fields(EFs), which regulate cellular processes. An EF is natively generated towards the wound center during epithelial wound healing, aiming to align and guide cell migration, particularly of macrophages, fibroblasts, and keratinocytes. While this phenomenon, known as electrotaxis or galvanotaxis, has been extensively investigated across many cell types, it is typically explored one cell type at a time, which does not accurately represent cellular interactions during complex biological processes. Here we show the co-cultured electrotaxis of epidermal keratinocytes and dermal fibroblasts with a salt-bridgeless microfluidic approach for the first time. The electrotactic response of these cells was first assessed in mono-culture to establish a baseline, resulting in the characteristic cathodic migration for keratinocytes and anodic for fibroblasts. Both cell types retained their electrotactic properties in co-culture leading to clear cellular partition even in the presence of cellular collisions. The methods leveraged here pave the way for future co-culture electrotaxis experiments where the concurrent influence of cell types can be thoroughly investigated.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Leal
- Department of Microsystems Engineering (IMTEK), University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
- BrainLinks-BrainTools Center, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
| | - Sebastian Shaner
- Department of Microsystems Engineering (IMTEK), University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- BrainLinks-BrainTools Center, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Nicole Jedrusik
- Department of Microsystems Engineering (IMTEK), University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- BrainLinks-BrainTools Center, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Anna Savelyeva
- Department of Microsystems Engineering (IMTEK), University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- BrainLinks-BrainTools Center, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Maria Asplund
- Department of Microsystems Engineering (IMTEK), University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
- BrainLinks-BrainTools Center, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
- Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies (FRIAS), University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
- Department of Microtechnology and Nanoscience, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden.
- Division of Nursing and Medical Technology, Luleå University of Technology, 97187, Luleå, Sweden.
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5
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Zhang Y, Lee RM, Zhu Z, Sun Y, Zhu K, Xu Z, Lin F, Pan T, Losert W, Zhao M. Protocol for electrotaxis of large epithelial cell sheets. STAR Protoc 2023; 4:102288. [PMID: 37149857 DOI: 10.1016/j.xpro.2023.102288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2022] [Revised: 03/21/2023] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Here, we present a protocol for electrotaxis of large epithelial cell sheets without compromising the integrity of cell epithelia in a high-throughput customized directed current electrotaxis chamber. We describe the fabrication and use of polydimethylsiloxane stencils to control the size and shape of human keratinocyte cell sheets. We detail cell tracking, cell sheet contour assay, and particle image velocimetry to reveal the spatial and temporal motility dynamics of cell sheets. This approach is applicable to other collective cell migration studies. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Zhang et al. (2022).1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Zhang
- Department of Ophthalmology & Vision Science, University of California, California, Davis, CA 95616, USA; School of Public Health, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, China; Institute of Environmental Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China; Micro-Nano Innovations (MiNI) Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, California, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
| | - Rachel M Lee
- Institute for Physical Science and Technology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Zijie Zhu
- Micro-Nano Innovations (MiNI) Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Yaohui Sun
- Department of Ophthalmology & Vision Science, University of California, California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Kan Zhu
- Department of Ophthalmology & Vision Science, University of California, California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Zhengping Xu
- Institute of Environmental Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Francis Lin
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada
| | - Tingrui Pan
- Micro-Nano Innovations (MiNI) Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, California, Davis, CA 95616, USA; Institute of Biomedical and Health Engineering, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China; Shenzhen Engineering Laboratory of Single-molecule Detection and Instrument Development, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, China; Suzhou Institute for Advanced Research, University of Science and Technology of China, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Wolfgang Losert
- Institute for Physical Science and Technology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA; Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Min Zhao
- Department of Ophthalmology & Vision Science, University of California, California, Davis, CA 95616, USA; Department of Dermatology, University of California, California, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
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6
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Guo M, Li T, Zhang WC, Duan Q, Dong XZ, Liu J, Jin F, Zheng ML. Wetting of Cell Aggregates on Microdisk Topography Structures Achieved by Maskless Optical Projection Lithography. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2023:e2300311. [PMID: 37026658 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202300311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Revised: 03/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Cell aggregates as a 3D culture model can effectively mimic the physiological processes such as embryonic development, immune response, and tissue renewal in vivo. Researches show that the topography of biomaterials plays an important role in regulating cell proliferation, adhesion, and differentiation. It is of great significance to understand how cell aggregates respond to surface topography. Herein, microdisk array structures with the optimized size are used to investigate the wetting of cell aggregates. Cell aggregates exhibit complete wetting with distinct wetting velocities on the microdisk array structures of different diameters. The wetting velocity of cell aggregates reaches a maximum of 293 µm h-1 on microdisk structures with a diameter of 2 µm and is a minimum of 247 µm h-1 on microdisk structures of 20 µm diameter, which suggests that the cell-substrates adhesion energy on the latter is smaller. Actin stress fibers, focal adhesions (FAs), and cell morphology are analyzed to reveal the mechanisms of variation of wetting velocity. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that cell aggregates adopt climb and detour wetting modes on small and large-sized microdisk structures, respectively. This work reveals the response of cell aggregates to micro-scale topography, providing guidance for better understanding of tissue infiltration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Guo
- Laboratory of Organic NanoPhotonics and CAS Key Laboratory of Bio-Inspired Materials and Interfacial Science, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 29, Zhongguancun East Road, Beijing, 100190, P. R. China
- School of Future Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yanqihu Campus, Beijing, 101407, P. R. China
| | - Teng Li
- Laboratory of Organic NanoPhotonics and CAS Key Laboratory of Bio-Inspired Materials and Interfacial Science, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 29, Zhongguancun East Road, Beijing, 100190, P. R. China
- School of Future Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yanqihu Campus, Beijing, 101407, P. R. China
| | - Wei-Cai Zhang
- Laboratory of Organic NanoPhotonics and CAS Key Laboratory of Bio-Inspired Materials and Interfacial Science, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 29, Zhongguancun East Road, Beijing, 100190, P. R. China
- School of Future Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yanqihu Campus, Beijing, 101407, P. R. China
| | - Qi Duan
- Laboratory of Organic NanoPhotonics and CAS Key Laboratory of Bio-Inspired Materials and Interfacial Science, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 29, Zhongguancun East Road, Beijing, 100190, P. R. China
- School of Future Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yanqihu Campus, Beijing, 101407, P. R. China
| | - Xian-Zi Dong
- Laboratory of Organic NanoPhotonics and CAS Key Laboratory of Bio-Inspired Materials and Interfacial Science, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 29, Zhongguancun East Road, Beijing, 100190, P. R. China
| | - Jie Liu
- Laboratory of Organic NanoPhotonics and CAS Key Laboratory of Bio-Inspired Materials and Interfacial Science, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 29, Zhongguancun East Road, Beijing, 100190, P. R. China
| | - Feng Jin
- Laboratory of Organic NanoPhotonics and CAS Key Laboratory of Bio-Inspired Materials and Interfacial Science, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 29, Zhongguancun East Road, Beijing, 100190, P. R. China
| | - Mei-Ling Zheng
- Laboratory of Organic NanoPhotonics and CAS Key Laboratory of Bio-Inspired Materials and Interfacial Science, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 29, Zhongguancun East Road, Beijing, 100190, P. R. China
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7
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Zhang H, Xu H, Sun W, Fang X, Qin P, Huang J, Fang J, Lin F, Xiong C. Purse-string contraction guides mechanical gradient-dictated heterogeneous migration of epithelial monolayer. Acta Biomater 2023; 159:38-48. [PMID: 36708850 DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2023.01.046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Revised: 01/15/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Mechanical heterogeneity has been recognized as an important role in mediating collective cell migration, yet the related mechanism has not been elucidated. Herein, we fabricate heterogeneous stiffness gradients by leveraging microelastically-patterned hydrogels with varying periodic distance. We observe that a decrease in the periodic distance of the mechanical heterogeneity is accompanied by an overall increase in the velocity and directionality of the migrating monolayer. Moreover, inhibition of ROCK- and myosin ⅡA- but not Rac1-mediated contraction reduces monolayer migration on the mechanically heterogeneous substrates. Furthermore, we find that F-actin and myosin ⅡA form purse-string at the leading edge on the mechanically heterogeneous substrates. Together, these findings not only show that the orientational cell-cell contraction promotes collective cell migration under the mechanical heterogeneity, but also demonstrate that the mechanosensation arising from large-scale cell-cell interactions through purse-string formation mediated cell-cell orientational contraction can feed back to regulate the reorganization of epithelial tissues. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: By detecting the links between heterogenous rigidity and collective cell migration behavior at the molecular level, we reveal that collective cell migration in the mechanical heterogeneity is driven by ROCK- and myosin-ⅡA-dependent cytoskeletal tension. We confirm that cytoskeletal tension across the epithelial tissue is holistically linked through F-actin and myosin-ⅡA, which cooperate to form purse-string structures for modulating collective tissue behavior on the exogenous matrix with mechanical heterogeneity. Mechanical heterogeneity initiates tissue growth, remodelling, and morphogenesis by orientating cell contractility. Therefore, tensional homeostasis across large-scale cell interactions appears to be necessary and sufficient to trigger collective tissue behavior. Overall, these findings shed light on the role of mechanical heterogeneity in tissue microenvironment for reorganization and morphogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haihui Zhang
- Wenzhou Institute, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325000, China; Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, 518005, China
| | - Hongwei Xu
- Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Weihao Sun
- Wenzhou Institute, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325000, China
| | - Xu Fang
- Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Peiwu Qin
- Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, 518005, China
| | - Jianyong Huang
- Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Jing Fang
- Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Feng Lin
- Wenzhou Institute, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325000, China.
| | - Chunyang Xiong
- Wenzhou Institute, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325000, China; Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
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Shaner S, Savelyeva A, Kvartuh A, Jedrusik N, Matter L, Leal J, Asplund M. Bioelectronic microfluidic wound healing: a platform for investigating direct current stimulation of injured cell collectives. LAB ON A CHIP 2023; 23:1531-1546. [PMID: 36723025 PMCID: PMC10013350 DOI: 10.1039/d2lc01045c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 01/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Upon cutaneous injury, the human body naturally forms an electric field (EF) that acts as a guidance cue for relevant cellular and tissue repair and reorganization. However, the direct current (DC) flow imparted by this EF can be impacted by a variety of diseases. This work delves into the impact of DC stimulation on both healthy and diabetic in vitro wound healing models of human keratinocytes, the most prevalent cell type of the skin. The culmination of non-metal electrode materials and prudent microfluidic design allowed us to create a compact bioelectronic platform to study the effects of different sustained (12 hours galvanostatic DC) EF configurations on wound closure dynamics. Specifically, we compared if electrotactically closing a wound's gap from one wound edge (i.e., uni-directional EF) is as effective as compared to alternatingly polarizing both the wound's edges (i.e., pseudo-converging EF) as both of these spatial stimulation strategies are fundamental to the eventual translational electrode design and strategy. We found that uni-directional electric guidance cues were superior in group keratinocyte healing dynamics by enhancing the wound closure rate nearly three-fold for both healthy and diabetic-like keratinocyte collectives, compared to their non-stimulated respective controls. The motility-inhibited and diabetic-like keratinocytes regained wound closure rates with uni-directional electrical stimulation (increase from 1.0 to 2.8% h-1) comparable to their healthy non-stimulated keratinocyte counterparts (3.5% h-1). Our results bring hope that electrical stimulation delivered in a controlled manner can be a viable pathway to accelerate wound repair, and also by providing a baseline for other researchers trying to find an optimal electrode blueprint for in vivo DC stimulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Shaner
- Department of Microsystems Engineering, University of Freiburg, Georges-Köhler-Allee 201, 79110, Freiburg, Germany
- Brainlinks-Braintools Center, Georges-Köhler-Allee 201, 79110, Freiburg, Germany.
| | - Anna Savelyeva
- Department of Microsystems Engineering, University of Freiburg, Georges-Köhler-Allee 201, 79110, Freiburg, Germany
- Brainlinks-Braintools Center, Georges-Köhler-Allee 201, 79110, Freiburg, Germany.
| | - Anja Kvartuh
- Department of Microsystems Engineering, University of Freiburg, Georges-Köhler-Allee 201, 79110, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Nicole Jedrusik
- Department of Microsystems Engineering, University of Freiburg, Georges-Köhler-Allee 201, 79110, Freiburg, Germany
- Brainlinks-Braintools Center, Georges-Köhler-Allee 201, 79110, Freiburg, Germany.
| | - Lukas Matter
- Department of Microsystems Engineering, University of Freiburg, Georges-Köhler-Allee 201, 79110, Freiburg, Germany
| | - José Leal
- Department of Microsystems Engineering, University of Freiburg, Georges-Köhler-Allee 201, 79110, Freiburg, Germany
- Brainlinks-Braintools Center, Georges-Köhler-Allee 201, 79110, Freiburg, Germany.
| | - Maria Asplund
- Department of Microsystems Engineering, University of Freiburg, Georges-Köhler-Allee 201, 79110, Freiburg, Germany
- Brainlinks-Braintools Center, Georges-Köhler-Allee 201, 79110, Freiburg, Germany.
- Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies (FRIAS), University of Freiburg, Albertstr. 19, 79104, Freiburg, Germany
- Division of Nursing and Medical Technology, Luleå University of Technology, 971 87, Luleå, Sweden
- Department of Microtechnology and Nanoscience, Chalmers University of Technology, Kemivägen 9, 412 58, Gothenburg, Sweden.
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9
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Nwogbaga I, Camley BA. Coupling cell shape and velocity leads to oscillation and circling in keratocyte galvanotaxis. Biophys J 2023; 122:130-142. [PMID: 36397670 PMCID: PMC9822803 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2022.11.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2022] [Revised: 10/03/2022] [Accepted: 11/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
During wound healing, fish keratocyte cells undergo galvanotaxis where they follow a wound-induced electric field. In addition to their stereotypical persistent motion, keratocytes can develop circular motion without a field or oscillate while crawling in the field direction. We developed a coarse-grained phenomenological model that captures these keratocyte behaviors. We fit this model to experimental data on keratocyte response to an electric field being turned on. A critical element of our model is a tendency for cells to turn toward their long axis, arising from a coupling between cell shape and velocity, which gives rise to oscillatory and circular motion. Galvanotaxis is influenced not only by the field-dependent responses, but also cell speed and cell shape relaxation rate. When the cell reacts to an electric field being turned on, our model predicts that stiff, slow cells react slowly but follow the signal reliably. Cells that polarize and align to the field at a faster rate react more quickly and follow the signal more reliably. When cells are exposed to a field that switches direction rapidly, cells follow the average of field directions, while if the field is switched more slowly, cells follow a "staircase" pattern. Our study indicated that a simple phenomenological model coupling cell speed and shape is sufficient to reproduce a broad variety of different keratocyte behaviors, ranging from circling to oscillation to galvanotactic response, by only varying a few parameters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ifunanya Nwogbaga
- Department of Biophysics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Brian A Camley
- Department of Biophysics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland; William H. Miller III Department of Physics & Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland.
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10
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Zhang Y, Xu G, Wu J, Lee RM, Zhu Z, Sun Y, Zhu K, Losert W, Liao S, Zhang G, Pan T, Xu Z, Lin F, Zhao M. Propagation dynamics of electrotactic motility in large epithelial cell sheets. iScience 2022; 25:105136. [PMID: 36185354 PMCID: PMC9523412 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.105136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Revised: 03/17/2022] [Accepted: 09/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Directional migration initiated at the wound edge leads epithelia to migrate in wound healing. How such coherent migration is achieved is not well understood. Here, we used electric fields to induce robust migration of sheets of human keratinocytes and developed an in silico model to characterize initiation and propagation of epithelial collective migration. Electric fields initiate an increase in migration directionality and speed at the leading edge. The increases propagate across the epithelial sheets, resulting in directional migration of cell sheets as coherent units. Both the experimental and in silico models demonstrated vector-like integration of the electric and default directional cues at free edge in space and time. The resultant collective migration is consistent in experiments and modeling, both qualitatively and quantitatively. The keratinocyte model thus faithfully reflects key features of epithelial migration as a coherent tissue in vivo, e.g. that leading cells lead, and that epithelium maintains cell-cell junction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Zhang
- Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Science, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
- School of Public Health, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 310018, China
- Institute of Environmental Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China
- Micro-Nano Innovations (MiNI) Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Guoqing Xu
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, R3T 2N2, Canada
- Department of Applied Computer Science, University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, MB, R3B 2E9, Canada
| | - Jiandong Wu
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, R3T 2N2, Canada
- Institute of Biomedical and Health Engineering, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Rachel M. Lee
- Institute for Physical Science and Technology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Zijie Zhu
- Micro-Nano Innovations (MiNI) Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Yaohui Sun
- Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Science, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Kan Zhu
- Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Science, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Wolfgang Losert
- Institute for Physical Science and Technology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
- Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Simon Liao
- Department of Applied Computer Science, University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, MB, R3B 2E9, Canada
| | - Gong Zhang
- Department of Applied Computer Science, University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, MB, R3B 2E9, Canada
- Brain Engineering Center, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, China
| | - Tingrui Pan
- Micro-Nano Innovations (MiNI) Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
- Institute of Biomedical and Health Engineering, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
- Shenzhen Engineering Laboratory of Single-molecule Detection and Instrument Development, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, China
- Suzhou Institute for Advanced Research, University of Science and Technology of China, Suzhou 215123, China
- Department of Precision Machinery and Precision Instrumentation, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Zhengping Xu
- Institute of Environmental Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Francis Lin
- Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Science, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, R3T 2N2, Canada
| | - Min Zhao
- Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Science, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
- Department of Dermatology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
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11
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Agrawal A, Douglas JF, Tirrell M, Karim A. Manipulation of coacervate droplets with an electric field. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2203483119. [PMID: 35925890 PMCID: PMC9372540 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2203483119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Many biopolymers are highly charged, and as in the case of many polymer mixtures, they tend to phase separate as a natural consequence of chain connectivity and an associated relatively low entropy of polymer mixing. Recently, it has become appreciated that the phase-separated structures formed by such polyelectrolyte blends, called "complex coacervates," underlie numerous biological structures and processes essential to living systems, and there has been intense interest in understanding the unique physical features of this type of phase-separation process. In the present work, we are particularly concerned with the field responsiveness of stabilized coacervate droplets formed after the phase separation of polyelectrolyte blend solution and then exposed to deionized water, making the droplet interfacial layer acquire a viscoelastic character that strongly stabilizes it against coalescence. We show that we can precisely control the positions of individual droplets and arrays of them with relatively low-voltage electric fields (on the order of 10 V/cm) and that the imposition of an oscillatory field gives rise to chain formation with coarsening of these chains into long fibers. Such a phase-separation-like process is generally observed in electrorheological fluids of solid colloidal particles subjected to much larger field strengths. The key to these coacervates' electrorheological properties is the altered interfacial viscoelastic properties when the droplets are introduced into deionized water and the associated high polarizability of the droplets, similar to the properties of many living cells. Since many different molecular payloads can be incorporated into these stable droplets, we anticipate many applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aman Agrawal
- William A. Brookshire Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204
| | - Jack F. Douglas
- Materials Science and Engineering Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899
| | - Matthew Tirrell
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637
| | - Alamgir Karim
- William A. Brookshire Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204
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12
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Avalos PN, Forsthoefel DJ. An Emerging Frontier in Intercellular Communication: Extracellular Vesicles in Regeneration. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:849905. [PMID: 35646926 PMCID: PMC9130466 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.849905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Regeneration requires cellular proliferation, differentiation, and other processes that are regulated by secreted cues originating from cells in the local environment. Recent studies suggest that signaling by extracellular vesicles (EVs), another mode of paracrine communication, may also play a significant role in coordinating cellular behaviors during regeneration. EVs are nanoparticles composed of a lipid bilayer enclosing proteins, nucleic acids, lipids, and other metabolites, and are secreted by most cell types. Upon EV uptake by target cells, EV cargo can influence diverse cellular behaviors during regeneration, including cell survival, immune responses, extracellular matrix remodeling, proliferation, migration, and differentiation. In this review, we briefly introduce the history of EV research and EV biogenesis. Then, we review current understanding of how EVs regulate cellular behaviors during regeneration derived from numerous studies of stem cell-derived EVs in mammalian injury models. Finally, we discuss the potential of other established and emerging research organisms to expand our mechanistic knowledge of basic EV biology, how injury modulates EV biogenesis, cellular sources of EVs in vivo, and the roles of EVs in organisms with greater regenerative capacity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priscilla N. Avalos
- Department of Cell Biology, College of Medicine, The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, United States
- Genes and Human Disease Research Program, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma City, OK, United States
| | - David J. Forsthoefel
- Department of Cell Biology, College of Medicine, The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, United States
- Genes and Human Disease Research Program, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma City, OK, United States
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13
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Saraswathibhatla A, Zhang J, Notbohm J. Coordination of contractile tension and cell area changes in an epithelial cell monolayer. Phys Rev E 2022; 105:024404. [PMID: 35291100 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.105.024404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2021] [Accepted: 02/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
During tissue development and repair, cells contract and expand in coordination with their neighbors, giving rise to tissue deformations that occur on length scales far larger than that of a single cell. The biophysical mechanisms by which the contractile forces of each cell cause deformations on multicellular length scales are not fully clear. To investigate this question, we began with the principle of force equilibrium, which dictates a balance of tensile forces between neighboring cells. Based on this principle, we hypothesized that coordinated changes in cell area result from tension transmitted across the cell layer. To test this hypothesis, spatial correlations of both contractile tension and the divergence of cell velocities were measured as readouts of coordinated contractility and collective area changes, respectively. Experiments were designed to alter the spatial correlation of contractile tension using three different methods, including disrupting cell-cell adhesions, modulating the alignment of actomyosin stress fibers between neighboring cells, and changing the size of the cell monolayer. In all experiments, the spatial correlations of both tension and divergence increased or decreased together, in agreement with our hypothesis. To relate our findings to the intracellular mechanism connecting changes in cell area to contractile tension, we disrupted activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), which is known to mediate the intracellular relationship between cell area and contraction. Consistent with prior knowledge, a temporal cross-correlation between cell area and tension revealed that ERK was responsible for a proportional relationship between cell area and contraction. Inhibition of ERK activation reduced the spatial correlations of the divergence of cell velocity but not of tension. Together, our findings suggest that coordination of cell contraction and expansion requires transfer of cell tension over space and ERK-mediated coordination between cell area and contraction in time.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jun Zhang
- Department of Engineering Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
- Biophysics Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - Jacob Notbohm
- Department of Engineering Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
- Biophysics Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
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14
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Han K, Wang F, Yue Y, Tan X, Tian M, Miao Y, Zhao S, Dong W, Yu M. Glycomics reveal that ST6GAL1-mediated sialylation regulates uterine lumen closure during implantation. Cell Prolif 2021; 55:e13169. [PMID: 34957619 PMCID: PMC8780930 DOI: 10.1111/cpr.13169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2021] [Revised: 11/24/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Objectives Implantation failure is a major cause of prenatal mortality. The uterine lumen closure contributes to embryo adhesion to the uterus, but its underlying mechanisms are largely unknown. Our previous study has reported that endometrial fold extension can lead to uterine lumen closure in pigs. The objective of this study was to reveal molecular mechanisms of the uterine lumen closure by characterizing the molecular basis of the endometrial fold extension during implantation in pigs. Materials and methods Uterine and endometrium tissues during implantation were collected in pigs. MALDI‐TOF MS was used to characterize the N‐glycomic profiles. Histochemistry, siRNA transfection, Western blotting, lectin immumoprecipitation, mass spectrometry and assays of wounding healing and cell aggregation were performed to investigate the molecular basis. Results We observed that uterine luminal epithelium (LE) migrated collectively during endometrial fold extension. For the first time, we identified a large number of N‐glycan compositions from endometrium during implantation using MALDI‐TOF MS. Notably, the α2,6‐linked sialic acid and ST6GAL1 were highly expressed in uterine LE when the endometrial folds extended greatly. Subsequently, the role of ST6GAL1‐mediated 2,6‐sialylation in collective epithelial migration was demonstrated. Finally, we found that ST6GAL1‐mediated α2,6‐sialylation of E‐cadherin may participate in collective migration of uterine LE. Conclusions The study reveals a mechanism of uterine lumen closure by identifying that ST6GAL1‐mediated α2,6‐sialylation of cell adhesion molecules contributes to endometrial fold extension through regulating collective migration of uterine LE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kun Han
- Key Lab of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Ministry of Education, College of Animal Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Feiyu Wang
- Key Lab of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Ministry of Education, College of Animal Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Yulu Yue
- Key Lab of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Ministry of Education, College of Animal Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Xihong Tan
- Key Lab of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Ministry of Education, College of Animal Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Miao Tian
- Key Lab of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Ministry of Education, College of Animal Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Yiliang Miao
- Key Lab of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Ministry of Education, College of Animal Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China.,Institute of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Shuhong Zhao
- Key Lab of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Ministry of Education, College of Animal Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Weijie Dong
- College of Basic Medical Sciences, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Mei Yu
- Key Lab of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Ministry of Education, College of Animal Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
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