Premium
NEUTROPHIL MIGRATION IS INFLUENCED BY SUBSTRATE STIFFNESS
Author(s) -
Patel Dipan C.,
Oakes Patrick,
Tang Jay,
Cioffi William,
Reichner Jonathan
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.23.1_supplement.929.6
Subject(s) - extracellular matrix , cell migration , fibronectin , stiffness , biophysics , substrate (aquarium) , chemistry , neutrophil extracellular traps , extracellular , cell injury , cell , microbiology and biotechnology , materials science , inflammation , immunology , biology , biochemistry , composite material , apoptosis , ecology
Neutrophils are an essential part of the inflammatory response to tissue injury. They are recruited from the bloodstream by chemical signals and migrate through the extracellular matrix to reach the site of injury. Mechanosensing refers to a cell's ability to sense differences in the mechanical properties of its environment. The current study was designed to determine the effect of substrate stiffness on human neutrophil migration using polyacrylamide gels of physiologically relevant stiffness, coated with fibronectin. FMet‐Leu‐Phe in solution was used as a stimulator of random migration. Cell speed was found to correlate inversely with substrate stiffness. This inverse correlation held true when directed migration was stimulated by a local concentration of FMet‐Leu‐Phe delivered via a micropipette tip. It was also found that neutrophils demonstrated greater persistence of directional movement on substrates of increased stiffness. This demonstrated that neutrophils move greater net distances over time despite their slower speeds on stiffer gels. These findings suggest that human neutrophils respond to mechanical cues in the microenvironment in a manner that affects their migration.