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A Tissue Engineering Model for Tractional Organization of Cells and Matrices
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 July 2020
Abstract
Tissues are characterized by highly distinctive microarchitecture and overall form that are critical to tissue specific function. with increasing interest in tissue engineering to create surrogates for human tissues and organs, innovative techniques have been developed to generate scaffolds that display form, and microarchitecture mimicking physiological structures. While this artifice may generate pre-programmed shapes, it fails to take advantage of the inherent ability of cells to organize themselves and their surroundings. The generation of mechanical forces by the cellular cytoskeleton plays a critical role in the organization of matrix and of cellular colonies. The anchorage of the cytoskeleton to a substrate is essential for cellular tractional processes. in tissues, cells are anchored in a stationary, 3-D network of collagen in a highly characteristic spatial arrangement. This spatial order arises from vectorial deposition of matrix and its subsequent tractional organization by cells. The junction of the cell binding domain of collagen with specific integrin receptors, and the cells’ cytoskeleton comprises the apparatus for the interconversion of mechanical and biochemical energy.
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- Advances in Imaging Techniques for Biomaterlals (Organized by S. Eppel)
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- Copyright © Microscopy Society of America 2001