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Cell Engineering on Patterned Materials

Regulation of cell functions by micropattern-immobilized biosignal molecules

Y. Ito*

Graduate School of Material Science, NAIST

This is an abstract for a poster to be presented at the Fifth Foresight Conference on Molecular Nanotechnology. The full paper is available here.

Regulation of biological cell function by artificial materials is important for creation of new hybrid materials for medical applications. We have previously showed that immobilized insulin or growth factor proteins enhanced growth of anchorage-dependent cells. In this study, the signal transduction from the immobilized protein was clearly visualized and the possibility to regulate cell functions through "artificial juxtacrine stimulation" was examined using a micro-pattern-immobilized biosignal protein.

Insulin or epidermal growth factor (EGF) was immobilized on prescribed areas of poly(ethylene terephthalate) film by photolithography. Various types of cells were cultured on the pattern-immobilized film. The pattern-immobilized insulin or EGF did not enhance cell adhesion but transduced a signal to the cells through phosphorylation of tyrosine residues of cellular signal proteins. Consequently only the cells on the immobilized insulin or EGF grew in the medium. The enhancement of cell growth was considered to be a consequence of signal transduction. This microprocessing technique was useful to overcome the influence of diffusible proteins in the culture system. The patterned immobilization method provides a new valuable tool to investigate the signal transduction and to regulate tissue formation on matrices.

*Corresponding Address:
Yoshihiro Ito, Graduate School of Material Science, NAIST, 8916-5 Takayama-cho, Ikoma 630-01, JAPAN, ph: +81-743-72-5903, fax:+81-743-72-5903, email: yito@ms.aist-nara.ac.jp
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