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Cell‐substratum adhesion strength as a determinant of hepatocyte aggregate morphology
Author(s) -
Powers Mark J.,
Rodriguez Raul E.,
Griffith Linda G.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
biotechnology and bioengineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.136
H-Index - 189
eISSN - 1097-0290
pISSN - 0006-3592
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-0290(19970220)53:4<415::aid-bit10>3.0.co;2-f
Subject(s) - adhesion , morphology (biology) , matrigel , cell adhesion , biophysics , chemistry , cell , biology , biochemistry , genetics , organic chemistry
Cultured hepatocytes typically form multicellular aggregates which are either monolayered or spheroidal in morphology. We propose that the aggregate morphology resulting from a particular cell‐substratum interaction has a biophysical basis: when cell contractile forces are greater than cell‐substratum adhesion forces, spheroidal aggregates form; when cell contractile forces are weaker than cell‐substratum adhesion forces, cells remain essentially spread and form monolayered aggregates. We tested this hypothesis by systematically varying the morphology of hepatocellular aggregates formed on substrata coated with a series of different concentrations of Matrigel, and correlating aggregate morphology with the cell‐substratum adhesion strength measured in a shear flow detachment assay. Aggregate morphology was binary—spheroidal aggregates formed at low Matrigel concentrations and monolayered aggregates formed at high Matrigel concentrations. Cell‐substratum adhesion strength was similarly binary, with low adhesion strengths correlated with spheroidal aggregates and high adhesion strengths correlated with formation of monolayered aggregates. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biotechnol Bioeng 53: 415–426, 1997.