Melero Cristina, Kolmogorova Aljona, Atherton Paul, Derby Brian, Reid Adam, Jansen Karin, Ballestrem Christoph
Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health. Division of Cell Matrix, Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell-Matrix Research, The University of Manchester.
School of Materials, The University of Manchester.
J Vis Exp. 2019 Oct 11(152). doi: 10.3791/60092.
Cells sense a variety of extracellular cues, including the composition and geometry of the extracellular matrix, which is synthesized and remodeled by the cells themselves. Here, we present the method of Light-Induced Molecular Adsorption of Proteins (LIMAP) using the PRIMO system as a patterning technique to produce micro-patterned extracellular matrix (ECM) substrates using a single or combination of proteins. The method enables printing of ECM patterns in micron resolution with excellent reproducibility. We provide a step-by-step protocol and demonstrate how this can be applied to study the processes of neuronal pathfinding. LIMAP has significant advantages over existing micro-printing methods in terms of the ease of patterning more than one component and the ability to generate a pattern with any geometry or gradient. The protocol can easily be adapted to study the contribution of almost any chemical component towards cell fate and cell behavior. Finally, we discuss common issues that can arise and how these can be avoided.
细胞能够感知多种细胞外信号,包括细胞自身合成和重塑的细胞外基质的组成和几何形状。在此,我们介绍一种使用PRIMO系统的光诱导蛋白质分子吸附(LIMAP)方法,作为一种图案化技术,用于使用单一蛋白质或蛋白质组合来制备微图案化细胞外基质(ECM)底物。该方法能够以微米分辨率打印ECM图案,且具有出色的重现性。我们提供了一份详细的操作步骤,并展示了如何将其应用于研究神经元路径寻找过程。与现有的微打印方法相比,LIMAP在图案化多种成分的简易性以及生成任何几何形状或梯度图案的能力方面具有显著优势。该操作步骤可轻松适用于研究几乎任何化学成分对细胞命运和细胞行为的影响。最后,我们讨论了可能出现的常见问题以及如何避免这些问题。