Human epidermal keratinocyte cell response on integrin-specific artificial extracellular matrix proteins
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Updated: Apr 30, 2026

Evaluation of Keratinocyte Proliferation on Two- and Three-dimensional Type I Collagen Substrates
Published on: April 22, 2019
Monica Suryana Tjin1, Alvin Wen Choong Chua, Dong Rui Ma
1School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Block N4.1, Nanyang Avenue, 639798, Singapore.
Abstract:
Cell-matrix interactions play critical roles in regulating cellular behavior in wound repair and regeneration of the human skin. In particular, human skin keratinocytes express several key integrins such as alpha5beta1, alpha3beta1, and alpha2beta1 for binding to the extracellular matrix (ECM) present in the basement membrane in uninjured skin. To mimic these key integrin-ECM interactions, artificial ECM (aECM) proteins containing functional domains derived from laminin 5, type IV collagen, fibronectin, and elastin are prepared. Human skin keratinocyte cell responses on the aECM proteins are specific to the cell-binding domain present in each construct. Keratinocyte attachment to the aECM protein substrates is also mediated by specific integrin-material interactions. In addition, the aECM proteins are able to support the proliferation of keratinocyte stem cells, demonstrating their promise for use in skin tissue engineering.
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