Speaker
Description
Elastic tissues such as arteries and tendons have dense extracellular matrices with wavy structures that allow high strain. The resident cells follow the wavy structures that change with load, disease, and aging. Few studies, however, study the impacts of this wavy morphology on cell behavior and mechanotransduction. Using microfabrication techniques, we precisely control single cell shape and characterize cell, nuclear, and cytoskeletal organization. We also examine how these cues modulate cell phenotype and signaling. The wavy structures increase cell contractility, nuclear deformation, lamellipodia formation, smooth muscle actin expression, and YAP nuclear translocation. In addition, the wavy channels suppress motility and directional persistence. These findings are consistent with phenotypic behaviors found in three dimensional wavy scaffolds and in healthy and diseased tissues. We are currently investigating the mechanisms that regulate these behaviors and how these extrinsic factors interact with intrinsic cellular status to control aging and disease.
