• Volume/Page
  • Keyword
  • DOI
  • Citation
  • Advanced
   
 
 
 

Facebook Podcast Flickr Twitter UniPHY Group iResearch App

Biomicrofluidics 6, 014107 (2012); http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3673802 (12 pages)

A tapered channel microfluidic device for comprehensive cell adhesion analysis, using measurements of detachment kinetics and shear stress-dependent motion

Peter Rupprecht1, Laurent Golé1, Jean-Paul Rieu1, Cyrille Vézy2, Rosaria Ferrigno2, Hichem C. Mertani3, and Charlotte Rivière1

1Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1, Laboratoire PMCN, CNRS, UMR 5586, F-69622 Villeurbanne Cedex, France
2Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1, Institut des Nanotechnologies de Lyon, CNRS UMR5270, F-69003, France
3Université de Lyon, Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie de Lyon, UMR INSERM 1052-CNRS 5286, France

View MapView Map

(Received 16 October 2011; accepted 8 December 2011; published online 31 January 2012)

We have developed a method for studying cellular adhesion by using a custom-designed microfluidic device with parallel non-connected tapered channels. The design enables investigation of cellular responses to a large range of shear stress (ratio of 25) with a single input flow-rate. For each shear stress, a large number of cells are analyzed (500–1500 cells), providing statistically relevant data within a single experiment. Besides adhesion strength measurements, the microsystem presented in this paper enables in-depth analysis of cell detachment kinetics by real-time videomicroscopy. It offers the possibility to analyze adhesion-associated processes, such as migration or cell shape change, within the same experiment. To show the versatility of our device, we examined quantitatively cell adhesion by analyzing kinetics, adhesive strength and migration behaviour or cell shape modifications of the unicellular model cell organism Dictyostelium discoideum at 21 °C and of the human breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 at 37 °C. For both cell types, we found that the threshold stresses, which are necessary to detach the cells, follow lognormal distributions, and that the detachment process follows first order kinetics. In addition, for particular conditions’ cells are found to exhibit similar adhesion threshold stresses, but very different detachment kinetics, revealing the importance of dynamics analysis to fully describe cell adhesion. With its rapid implementation and potential for parallel sample processing, such microsystem offers a highly controllable platform for exploring cell adhesion characteristics in a large set of environmental conditions and cell types, and could have wide applications across cell biology, tissue engineering, and cell screening.

© 2012 American Institute of Physics

Article Outline

  1. INTRODUCTION
  2. MATERIALS AND METHODS
    1. Device fabrication
    2. Channel coating
    3. Flow creation
    4. Strain and culture, cell injection
    5. Microscopy
    6. Image processing
  3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
    1. Device design and rationale
    2. Mathematical description of adhesion and detachment
    3. Adhesion thresholds for amoeboid and breast cancer cells follow lognormal distribution
    4. Quantitative comparison of detachment parameters
    5. Cell tracking, migration, detachment mode
  4. CONCLUSION

RELATED DATABASES

To view database links for this article, you need to log in.

KEYWORDS, PACS, and IPC

PACS

  • 87.80.Ek

    Mechanical and micromechanical techniques

  • 85.85.+j

    Micro- and nano-electromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS) and devices

  • 07.10.Cm

    Micromechanical devices and systems

  • 87.17.Uv

    Biotechnology of cell processes

  • 87.17.Rt

    Cell adhesion and cell mechanics

International Patent Classification (IPC)

  • B81B

    Micro-structural devices or systems, e.g. micro-mechanical devices

ARTICLE DATA

PUBLICATION DATA

ISSN

1932-1058 (online)

For access to fully linked references, you need to log in.

For access to citing articles, you need to log in.


Figures (5) Multimedia (9) Tables (1)

Access to article objects (figures, tables, multimedia) requires a subscription; log in to view available files.
(Access to supplementary files, where available, is free for this journal.)

Access to article objects (figures, tables, multimedia) requires a subscription; log in to view available files.
(Access to supplementary files, where available, is free for this journal.)

Access to article objects (figures, tables, multimedia) requires a subscription; log in to view available files.
(Access to supplementary files, where available, is free for this journal.)



Close
Google Calendar
ADVERTISEMENT

close