Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
Omenn-Darling Bioengineering Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
Methods Mol Biol. 2024;2805:101-112. doi: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3854-5_6.
Cell-cell interactions typically occur in a 3D context that is distinct from conventional 2D cell-substrate interactions in a Petri dish. Here, we describe a benchtop method to combine a 2D extracellular matrix surface with a 3D, vertical boundary functionalized with the extracellular domain of E-cadherin. The methodology is suitable for any biology laboratory without requiring advanced microfabrication equipment or training. Overall, this cell-mimetic interface uniquely recapitulates key aspects of cell-cell adhesion and can serve as a versatile, reductionist technique to study general cell-cell interactions in a 3D context.
细胞间相互作用通常发生在 3D 环境中，与传统的细胞-底物 2D 相互作用在培养皿中有所不同。在这里，我们描述了一种将 2D 细胞外基质表面与 3D 垂直边界结合的方法，该边界的功能化采用了 E-钙黏蛋白细胞外结构域。该方法适用于任何生物学实验室，不需要先进的微制造设备或培训。总的来说，这种细胞模拟界面独特地再现了细胞间黏附的关键方面，并且可以作为一种通用的、简化的技术，用于在 3D 环境中研究一般的细胞间相互作用。
