ArticlePloS one2014
A novel 2.5D culture platform to investigate the role of stiffness gradients on adhesion-independent cell migration.
Article in PloS one, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers.
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Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 30 citations in OpenAlex.
- Leveraging crosslinker diffusion to template stiffness gradients in alginate hydrogels.Biomedical materials (Bristol, England) · 2025Article
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- Sandwich Culture Platforms to Investigate the Roles of Stiffness Gradients and Cell-Matrix Adhesions in Cancer Cell Migration.Cancers · 2023Article
- Invasion and Secondary Site Colonization as a Function of In Vitro Primary Tumor Matrix Stiffness: Breast to Bone Metastasis.Advanced healthcare materials · 2023Article
- Microdevice-based mechanical compression on living cells.iScience · 2022Review
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- Biomimetic models of the glomerulus.Nature reviews. Nephrology · 2022Review
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- Innovative Human Three-Dimensional Tissue-Engineered Models as an Alternative to Animal Testing.Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland) · 2020Review
- Role of Nanoparticle-Polymer Interactions on the Development of Double-Network Hydrogel Nanocomposites with High Mechanical Strength.Polymers · 2020Article
- Integrin αvβ1 Modulation Affects Subtype B Avian Metapneumovirus Fusion Protein-mediated Cell-Cell Fusion and Virus Infection.The Journal of biological chemistry · 2016Article
- Synthetic hydrogels with stiffness gradients for durotaxis study and tissue engineering scaffolds.Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine · 2016Review
- Wound Dressing Model of Human Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells-Alginates Complex Promotes Skin Wound Healing by Paracrine Signaling.Stem cells international · 2016Article
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Current studies investigating the role of biophysical cues on cell migration focus on the use of culture platforms with static material parameters. However, migrating cells in vivo often encounter spatial variations in extracellular matrix stiffness. To better understand the effects of stiffness gradients on cell migration, we developed a 2.5D cell culture platform where cells are sandwiched between stiff tissue culture plastic and soft alginate hydrogel. Under these conditions, we observed migration of cells from the underlying stiff substrate into the alginate matrix. Observation of migration into alginate in the presence of integrin inhibition as well as qualitative microscopic analyses suggested an adhesion-independent cell migration mode. Observed migration was dependent on alginate matrix stiffness and the RhoA-ROCK-myosin-II pathway; inhibitors specifically targeting ROCK and myosin-II arrested cell migration. Collectively, these results demonstrate the utility of the 2.5D culture platform to advance our understanding of the effects of stiffness gradients and mechanotransductive signaling on adhesion-independent cell migration.
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