Initial cell adhesion of three cell types in the presence and absence of serum proteins

• Published in: Histochemistry and cell biology Vol. 148; no. 3; pp. 273 - 288
• Main Authors: Verdanova, Martina, Sauerova, Pavla, Hempel, Ute, Kalbacova, Marie Hubalek
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01-09-2017; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Actin; Biochemistry; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedical materials; Biomedicine; Biosensors; Blood Proteins - chemistry; Blood Proteins - pharmacology; CD44 antigen; Cell adhesion; Cell adhesion & migration; Cell Adhesion - drug effects; Cell Biology; Cell culture; Cell size; Cells, Cultured; Developmental Biology; Fibroblasts; Fibroblasts - cytology; Fibroblasts - drug effects; Focal adhesion kinase; Guanine nucleotide-binding protein; Humans; Localization; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells - cytology; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells - drug effects; Mesenchyme; Original Paper; Osteoblasts; Osteoblasts - cytology; Osteoblasts - drug effects; Proteins; Serum proteins; Signal transduction; Stem cells; Talin; Vinculin; Cell signalling; Protein expression; Foetal bovine serum; Fluorescence microscopy; Cell adhesion
• ISSN: 0948-6143; 1432-119X
• DOI: 10.1007/s00418-017-1571-7

With the development of a wide range of new biomaterials for the sensing of different cell behaviour, it is important to consider whether the cells tested in vitro are in direct contact with the material or whether cell–biomaterial contact is mediated by an interfacial layer of proteins originating from the culture medium or from the cells themselves. Thus, this study describes the differences between the cell adhesion mediated by proteins originating from foetal bovine serum and without the presence of such proteins 2 h following cell seeding exemplarily with different cell types (an osteoblastic cell line, primary fibroblasts, and mesenchymal stem cells). Three of the examined cell types were found to react differently to differing conditions in terms of cell shape, area, and number. Nevertheless, the expression and localization of the various proteins involved in cell adhesion and signalling (CD44, vinculin, talin, actin, focal adhesion kinase, Rho-GTPases and extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2) were, in general, similar with respect to all the cell types tested, albeit varying according to the presence or absence of serum. Moreover, no classical focal adhesions were formed during cell adhesion without serum proteins, while different signalling pathways were involved in this process. The study systematically describes and discusses the cell adhesion of three different human cell types to a well-known substrate without the presence of external proteins and it is hoped that this knowledge will be subsequently applied in biomaterial applications in which the presence of external proteins is undesirable (e.g. for biosensing purposes).