Selective adhesion of astrocytes to surfaces modified with immobilized peptides

Under serum-free conditions, rat skin fibroblasts, but not cortical astrocytes, selectively adhered to glass surfaces modified with the integrin-ligand peptide RGDS. In contrast, astrocytes, but not fibroblasts, exhibited enhanced adhesion onto substrates modified with KHIFSDDSSE, a peptide that mimics a homophilic binding domain of neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM). Astrocyte and fibroblast adhesion onto substrates modified with the integrin ligands IKVAV and YIGSR as well as the control peptides RDGS and SEDSDKFISH were similar to that observed on aminophase glass (reference substrate). This study is the first to demonstrate the use of immobilized KHIFSDDSSE in selectively modulating astrocyte and fibroblast adhesion on material surfaces, potentially leading to materials that promote specific functions of cells involved in the response(s) of central nervous system tissues to injury. This information could be incorporated into novel biomaterials designed to improve the long-term performance of the next generation of neural prostheses.