Transfection of cells attached to selected cell based biosensor surfaces

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Cell Biology
• Biosensor Technology

Background:

• Mammalian cell attachment is critical for cell-based biosensor functionality.
• Microchip surfaces vary in their ability to support cell adhesion.
• Understanding cell behavior on different materials is key for biosensor development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate mammalian cell attachment on common microchip surfaces for biosensor applications.
• To determine the influence of surface composition and pre-treatment on cell adhesion.
• To assess reporter gene expression and transfection efficiency across various biosensor materials.

Main Methods:

• Studied COS-7 and HL-1 cell attachment on gold (Au), platinum (Pt), indium tin oxide (ITO), silicon dioxide (SiO2), and silver (Ag) surfaces.
• Investigated the effect of fibronectin precoating and serum inclusion in media on cell attachment.
• Analyzed transfection efficiency and green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene expression using flow cytometry (FACS).

Main Results:

• Cell attachment per unit area was higher on Au, Pt, and ITO compared to SiO2.
• Maximum cell attachment was observed 3 hours post-seeding, with fibronectin precoating showing initial benefits for HL-1 cells.
• Serum inclusion decreased COS-7 attachment on SiO2 but not on ITO surfaces.
• No significant differences in transfection efficiency or GFP expression were found on ITO, SiO2, Pt, Ag, or Au for COS-7 cells.
• Hep G2 cells exhibited lower transfection and GFP levels, with poor attachment on Ag surfaces.

Conclusions:

• Mammalian cells generally attach to diverse conducting and non-conducting biosensor surfaces.
• Surface composition influences cell attachment numbers but not necessarily reporter gene expression levels.
• These findings support the use of various microchip materials for cell-based biosensors with comparable assay data.