The influence of nanotopography on cell behaviour through interactions with the extracellular matrix - A review

[EN] Nanotopography presents an effective physical approach for biomaterial cell manipulation mediated through material-extracellular matrix interactions. The extracellular matrix that exists in the cellular microenvironment is crucial for guiding cell behaviours, such as determination of integrin ligation and interaction with growth factors. These interactions with the extracellular matrix regulate downstream mechanotransductive pathways, such as rearrangements in the cytoskeleton and activation of signal cascades. Protein adsorption onto nanotopography strongly influences the conformation and distribution density of extracellular matrix and, therefore, subsequent cell responses. In this review, we first discuss the interactive mechanisms of protein physical adsorption on nanotopography. Secondly, we summarise advances in creating nanotopographical features to instruct desired cell behaviours. Lastly, we focus on the cellular mechanotransductive pathways initiated by nanotopography. This review provides an overview of the current state-of-the-art designs of nanotopography aiming to provide better biomedical materials for the future.We acknowledge support from the Leverhulme Trust through gran t RPG-2019-252 and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) grant EP/P001114/1.Luo, J.; Walker, M.; Xiao, Y.; Donnelly, H.; Dalby, MJ.; Salmerón Sánchez, M. (2022). The influence of nanotopography on cell behaviour through interactions with the extracellular matrix - A review. Bioactive materials. 15:145-159. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bioactmat.2021.11.0241451591

Stratifying macrophages based on their infectious burden identifies novel host targets for intervention during Crohn’s disease associated adherent-invasive Escherichia coli infection

Bacterial infection is a dynamic process resulting in a heterogenous population of infected and uninfected cells. These cells respond differently based on their bacterial load and duration of infection. In the case of infection of macrophages with Crohn’s disease (CD) associated adherent-invasive Escherichia coli (AIEC), understanding the drivers of pathogen success may allow targeting of cells where AIEC replicate to high levels. Here we show that stratifying immune cells based on their bacterial load identifies novel pathways and therapeutic targets not previously associated with AIEC when using a traditional homogeneous infected population approach. Using flow cytometry-based cell sorting we stratified cells into those with low or high intracellular pathogen loads, or those which were bystanders to infection. Immune cells transcriptomics revealed a diverse response to the varying levels of infection while pathway analysis identified novel intervention targets that were directly related to increasing intracellular AIEC numbers. Chemical inhibition of identified targets reduced AIEC intracellular replication or inhibited secretion of tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFα), a key cytokine associated with AIEC infection. Our results have identified new avenues of intervention in AIEC infection that may also be applicable to CD through the repurposing of already available inhibitors. Additionally, they highlight the applicability of immune cell stratification post-infection as an effective approach for the study of microbial pathogens

Bioengineered niches that recreate physiological extracellular matrix organisation to support long-term haematopoietic stem cells

Long-term reconstituting haematopoietic stem cells (LT-HSCs) are used to treat blood disorders via stem cell transplantation. The very low abundance of LT-HSCs and their rapid differentiation during in vitro culture hinders their clinical utility. Previous developments using stromal feeder layers, defined media cocktails, and bioengineering have enabled HSC expansion in culture, but of mostly short-term HSCs and progenitor populations at the expense of naive LT-HSCs. Here, we report the creation of a bioengineered LT-HSC maintenance niche that recreates physiological extracellular matrix organisation, using soft collagen type-I hydrogels to drive nestin expression in perivascular stromal cells (PerSCs). We demonstrate that nestin, which is expressed by HSC-supportive bone marrow stromal cells, is cytoprotective and, via regulation of metabolism, is important for HIF-1α expression in PerSCs. When CD34+ve HSCs were added to the bioengineered niches comprising nestin/HIF-1α expressing PerSCs, LT-HSC numbers were maintained with normal clonal and in vivo reconstitution potential, without media supplementation. We provide proof-of-concept that our bioengineered niches can support the survival of CRISPR edited HSCs. Successful editing of LT-HSCs ex vivo can have potential impact on the treatment of blood disorders

Bioengineered niches that recreate physiological extracellular matrix organisation to support long-term haematopoietic stem cells

Long-term reconstituting haematopoietic stem cells (LT-HSCs) are used to treat blood disorders via stem cell transplantation. The very low abundance of LT-HSCs and their rapid differentiation during in vitro culture hinders their clinical utility. Previous developments using stromal feeder layers, defined media cocktails, and bioengineering have enabled HSC expansion in culture, but of mostly short-term HSCs and progenitor populations at the expense of naive LT-HSCs. Here, we report the creation of a bioengineered LT-HSC maintenance niche that recreates physiological extracellular matrix organisation, using soft collagen type-I hydrogels to drive nestin expression in perivascular stromal cells (PerSCs). We demonstrate that nestin, which is expressed by HSC-supportive bone marrow stromal cells, is cytoprotective and, via regulation of metabolism, is important for HIF-1α expression in PerSCs. When CD34+ve HSCs were added to the bioengineered niches comprising nestin/HIF-1α expressing PerSCs, LT-HSC numbers were maintained with normal clonal and in vivo reconstitution potential, without media supplementation. We provide proof-of-concept that our bioengineered niches can support the survival of CRISPR edited HSCs. Successful editing of LT-HSCs ex vivo can have potential impact on the treatment of blood disorders

Nanotopography reveals metabolites that maintain the immunomodulatory phenotype of mesenchymal stromal cells

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are multipotent progenitor cells that are of considerable clinical potential in transplantation and anti-inflammatory therapies due to their capacity for tissue repair and immunomodulation. However, MSCs rapidly differentiate once in culture, making their large-scale expansion for use in immunomodulatory therapies challenging. Although the differentiation mechanisms of MSCs have been extensively investigated using materials, little is known about how materials can influence paracrine activities of MSCs. Here, we show that nanotopography can control the immunomodulatory capacity of MSCs through decreased intracellular tension and increasing oxidative glycolysis. We use nanotopography to identify bioactive metabolites that modulate intracellular tension, growth and immunomodulatory phenotype of MSCs in standard culture and during larger scale cell manufacture. Our findings demonstrate an effective route to support large-scale expansion of functional MSCs for therapeutic purposes

Modelling bone marrow niche in vitro using poly(ethyl acrylate) surfaces and poly(ethylene glycol) hydrogels

Abstract not currently available

Friend or foe? Essential roles of osteoclast in maintaining skeletal health

Heightened activity of osteoclast is considered to be the culprit in breaking the balance during bone remodeling in pathological conditions, such as osteoporosis. As a “foe” of skeletal health, many antiosteoporosis therapies aim to inhibit osteoclastogenesis. However, bone remodeling is a dynamic process that requires the subtle coordination of osteoclasts and osteoblasts. Severe suppression of osteoclast differentiation will impair bone formation because of the coupling effect. Thus, understanding the complex roles of osteoclast in maintaining proper bone remodeling is highly warranted to develop better management of osteoporosis. This review aimed to determine the varied roles of osteoclasts in maintaining skeletal health and to highlight the positive roles of osteoclasts in maintaining normal bone remodeling. Generally, osteoclasts interact with osteocytes to initiate targeted bone remodeling and have crosstalk with mesenchymal stem cells and osteoblasts via secreted factors or cell-cell contact to promote bone formation. We believe that a better outcome of bone remodeling disorders will be achieved when proper strategies are made to coordinate osteoclasts and osteoblasts in managing such disorders

Transcriptome Sequencing and Chemical Analysis Reveal the Formation Mechanism of White Florets in Carthamus tinctorius L.

Carthamus tinctorius L. (safflower), an economic crop and herb, has been extensively studied for its diverse chemical constituents and pharmacological effects, but the mechanism of safflower pigments (SP) leading to different colors of florets has not been clarified. In the present study, we compared the contents of SP in two varieties of safflower with white and red florets, named Xinhonghua No. 7 (WXHH) and Yunhong No. 2 (RYH). The results showed the contents of SP in RYH were higher than WXHH. To investigate genes related to SP, we obtained six cDNA libraries of florets from the two varieties by transcriptome sequencing. A total of 225,008 unigenes were assembled and 40 unigenes related to safflower pigment biosynthesis were annotated, including 7 unigenes of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), 20 unigenes of 4-coumarate-CoA ligase (4CL), 1 unigene of trans-cinnamate 4-monooxygenase (C4H), 7 unigenes of chalcone synthase (CHS), 4 unigenes of chalcone isomerase (CHI), and 1 unigene of flavanone 3-hydroxylase (F3H). Based on expression levels we selected 16 differentially expressed unigenes (DEGs) and tested them using reverse transcription-quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), which was consistent with the sequencing results. Consequently, we speculated that in WXHH, 3 PALs, 3 4CLs, 1 C4H, 1 CHS, and 1 CHI, which were down-regulated, and 1 F3H, which was up-regulated, may play a key role in the formation of white florets

Compression Limit of Two-Dimensional Water Constrained in Graphene Nanocapillaries

Evaluation of the tensile/compression limit of a solid under conditions of tension or compression is often performed to provide mechanical properties that are critical for structure design and assessment. Algara-Siller <i>et al.</i> recently demonstrated that when water is constrained between two sheets of graphene, it becomes a two-dimensional (2D) liquid and then is turned into an intriguing monolayer solid with a square pattern under high lateral pressure [Nature, 2015, 519, 443−445]. From a mechanics point of view, this liquid-to-solid transformation characterizes the compression limit (or metastability limit) of the 2D monolayer water. Here, we perform a simulation study of the compression limit of 2D monolayer, bilayer, and trilayer water constrained in graphene nanocapillaries. At 300 K, a myriad of 2D ice polymorphs (both crystalline-like and amorphous) are formed from the liquid water at different widths of the nanocapillaries, ranging from 6.0 to11.6 Å. For monolayer water, the compression limit is typically a few hundred MPa, while for the bilayer and trilayer water, the compression limit is 1.5 GPa or higher, reflecting the ultrahigh van der Waals pressure within the graphene nanocapillaries. The compression-limit (phase) diagram is obtained at the nanocapillary width <i>versus</i> pressure (<i>h–P</i>) plane, based on the comprehensive molecular dynamics simulations at numerous thermodynamic states as well as on the Clapeyron equation. Interestingly, the compression-limit curves exhibit multiple local minima