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Merck

Topographical curvature is sufficient to control epithelium elongation.

Scientific reports (2020-09-10)
Pablo Rougerie, Laurent Pieuchot, Rafaela Silva Dos Santos, Julie Marteau, Maxence Bigerelle, Pierre-François Chauvy, Marcos Farina, Karine Anselme
ABSTRACT

How biophysical cues can control tissue morphogenesis is a central question in biology and for the development of efficient tissue engineering strategies. Recent data suggest that specific topographies such as grooves and ridges can trigger anisotropic tissue growth. However, the specific contribution of biologically relevant topographical features such as cell-scale curvature is still unclear. Here we engineer a series of grooves and ridges model topographies exhibiting specific curvature at the ridge/groove junctions and monitored the growth of epithelial colonies on these surfaces. We observe a striking proportionality between the maximum convex curvature of the ridges and the elongation of the epithelium. This is accompanied by the anisotropic distribution of F-actin and nuclei with partial exclusion of both in convex regions as well as the curvature-dependent reorientation of pluricellular protrusions and mitotic spindles. This demonstrates that curvature itself is sufficient to trigger and modulate the oriented growth of epithelia through the formation of convex "topographical barriers" and establishes curvature as a powerful tuning parameter for tissue engineering and biomimetic biomaterial design.

MATERIALS
Product Number
Brand
Product Description

Sigma-Aldrich
Propyl gallate, for microscopy, ≥98.0% (HPLC)
Sigma-Aldrich
MEM Non-essential Amino Acid Solution (100×), without L-glutamine, liquid, sterile-filtered, BioReagent, suitable for cell culture
Sigma-Aldrich
Pluronic® F-127, powder, BioReagent, suitable for cell culture
Sigma-Aldrich
L-Glutamine solution, 200 mM, solution, sterile-filtered, BioXtra, suitable for cell culture
Sigma-Aldrich
Dulbecco′s Modified Eagle′s Medium - low glucose, With 1000 mg/L glucose, L-glutamine, and sodium bicarbonate, liquid, sterile-filtered, suitable for cell culture