5 research outputs found

    Cellular self-organization on micro-structured surfaces

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    Micro-patterned surfaces are frequently used in high-throughput single-cell studies, as they allow one to image isolated cells in defined geometries. Commonly, cells are seeded in excess onto the entire chip, and non-adherent cells are removed from the unpatterned sectors by rinsing. Here, we report on the phenomenon of cellular self-organization, which allows for autonomous positioning of cells on micro-patterned surfaces over time. We prepared substrates with a regular lattice of protein-coated adhesion sites surrounded by PLL-g-PEG passivated areas, and studied the time course of cell ordering. After seeding, cells randomly migrate over the passivated surface until they find and permanently attach to adhesion sites. Efficient cellular self-organization was observed for three commonly used cell lines (HuH7, A549, and MDA-MB-436), with occupancy levels typically reaching 40-60% after 3-5 h. The time required for sorting was found to increase with increasing distance between adhesion sites, and is well described by the time-to-capture in a random-search model. Our approach thus paves the way for automated filling of cell arrays, enabling high-throughput single-cell analysis of cell samples without losses

    Cellular self-organization on micro-structured surfaces

    Get PDF
    Micro-patterned surfaces are frequently used in high-throughput single-cell studies, as they allow one to image isolated cells in defined geometries. Commonly, cells are seeded in excess onto the entire chip, and non-adherent cells are removed from the unpatterned sectors by rinsing. Here, we report on the phenomenon of cellular self-organization, which allows for autonomous positioning of cells on micro-patterned surfaces over time. We prepared substrates with a regular lattice of protein-coated adhesion sites surrounded by PLL-g-PEG passivated areas, and studied the time course of cell ordering. After seeding, cells randomly migrate over the passivated surface until they find and permanently attach to adhesion sites. Efficient cellular self-organization was observed for three commonly used cell lines (HuH7, A549, and MDA-MB-436), with occupancy levels typically reaching 40-60% after 3-5 h. The time required for sorting was found to increase with increasing distance between adhesion sites, and is well described by the time-to-capture in a random-search model. Our approach thus paves the way for automated filling of cell arrays, enabling high-throughput single-cell analysis of cell samples without losses

    Time-Resolved Study of Nanoparticle Induced Apoptosis Using Microfabricated Single Cell Arrays

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    Cell fate decisions like apoptosis are heterogeneously implemented within a cell population and, consequently, the population response is recognized as sum of many individual dynamic events. Here, we report on the use of micro-patterned single-cell arrays for real-time tracking of nanoparticle-induced (NP) cell death in sets of thousands of cells in parallel. Annexin (pSIVA) and propidium iodide (PI), two fluorescent indicators of apoptosis, are simultaneously monitored after exposure to functionalized polystyrene (PS − NH 2) nanobeads as a model system. We find that the distribution of Annexin onset times shifts to later times and broadens as a function of decreasing NP dose. We discuss the mean time-to-death as a function of dose, and show how the EC 50 value depends both on dose and time of measurement. In addition, the correlations between the early and late apoptotic markers indicate a systematic shift from apoptotic towards necrotic cell death during the course of the experiment. Thus, our work demonstrates the potential of array-based single cell cytometry for kinetic analysis of signaling cascades in a high-throughput format
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