Cell Elongation and Migration on Asymmetric Grooved Topography

Spreading, elongation and migration are well-recognized processes that occur when a cell first adheres to a substrate. These processes facilitate an individual cell's ability to explore and further associate with its surroundings. Previous studies have shown that placing cells on grooved substrates causes elongation and migration to occur parallel to the pattern itself. However, there has been limited research examining whether cells exhibit a chiral bias during their initial elongation and migration on a substrate. Information such as this can be used in formulating effective procedures to predict movement of cells, which can lead to improvements in cellular based therapies such as tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Using a PDMS casting of grooved surfaces coated in fibronectin, C2C12 mouse myoblasts were seeded with a low density and observed over the first 24 hours of exposure to the patterned surface using phase contrast microscopy and time lapse imaging techniques. In this preliminary experiment, no significant bias was discovered as to a "left/right" preference in initial cell elongation and migration.