Assembly of functionalized silk together with cells to obtain proliferative 3D cultures integrated in a network of ECM-like microfibers
| Autor: | Ulrika Johansson, Mona Widhe, Nancy Dekki Shalaly, Irene Linares Arregui, Linnea Nilebäck, Christos Panagiotis Tasiopoulos, Carolina Åstrand, Per-Olof Berggren, Christian Gasser, My Hedhammar |
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| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2019 |
| Předmět: |
Stem Cells
lcsh:R fungi Cell Culture Techniques Silk lcsh:Medicine Cell Differentiation Hydrogels macromolecular substances Article Recombinant Proteins Extracellular Matrix Fibronectins Cell growth Cell Adhesion Animals Humans lcsh:Q lcsh:Science Genetic Engineering Biomedical materials Biological models Cell Proliferation |
| Zdroj: | Scientific Reports Scientific Reports, Vol 9, Iss 1, Pp 1-13 (2019) |
| ISSN: | 2045-2322 |
| Popis: | Tissues are built of cells integrated in an extracellular matrix (ECM) which provides a three-dimensional (3D) microfiber network with specific sites for cell anchorage. By genetic engineering, motifs from the ECM can be functionally fused to recombinant silk proteins. Such a silk protein, FN-silk, which harbours a motif from fibronectin, has the ability to self-assemble into networks of microfibers under physiological-like conditions. Herein we describe a method by which mammalian cells are added to the silk solution before assembly, and thereby get uniformly integrated between the formed microfibers. In the resulting 3D scaffold, the cells are highly proliferative and spread out more efficiently than when encapsulated in a hydrogel. Elongated cells containing filamentous actin and defined focal adhesion points confirm proper cell attachment to the FN-silk. The cells remain viable in culture for at least 90 days. The method is also scalable to macro-sized 3D cultures. Silk microfibers formed in a bundle with integrated cells are both strong and extendable, with mechanical properties similar to that of artery walls. The described method enables differentiation of stem cells in 3D as well as facile co-culture of several different cell types. We show that inclusion of endothelial cells leads to the formation of vessel-like structures throughout the tissue constructs. Hence, silk-assembly in presence of cells constitutes a viable option for 3D culture of cells integrated in a ECM-like network, with potential as base for engineering of functional tissue. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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