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Cells transmit spatial information by orienting collagen fibers
R J Klebe1, H Caldwell, S Milam
1Department of Cellular and Structural Biology, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio 78284-7762.
Matrix (Stuttgart, Germany)
|January 1, 1989
Summary
Cells cultured on restrained collagen gels align parallel to each other. Cell-exerted tension on the gel reorients collagen fibers, dictating cell orientation and morphology, enabling long-range communication.
Area of Science:
- Biophysics
- Cell Biology
- Materials Science
Background:
- Cellular orientation and collective behavior are crucial in tissue development and disease.
- The role of the extracellular matrix (ECM) in guiding cell behavior is well-established.
- Mechanisms of long-range communication between cells, independent of direct contact, are less understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the conditions under which large cell populations achieve parallel orientation on collagenous substrates.
- To elucidate the role of cell-generated tension and collagen fiber reorientation in determining cell alignment.
- To explore the potential for mechanical communication between cells via the extracellular matrix.
Main Methods:
- Culturing large cell populations on thin collagen films.
- Restraining the collagen gel at two or more edges to control boundary conditions.
- Observing and quantifying cell orientation and collagen fiber morphology using microscopy.
Main Results:
- Parallel cell population orientation was observed if and only if the collagen gel was restrained at multiple edges.
- The direction of cell body orientation was dictated by the geometry of the restrained gel.
- Cell-exerted tension on the collagen gel induced reorientation of collagen fibers, aligning with the gel's geometry.
Conclusions:
- Cell-generated tension within the extracellular matrix is a key factor in orienting both collagen fibers and cell populations.
- This process establishes a feedback loop where cell tension influences matrix structure, which in turn directs cell morphology and spatial orientation.
- Cells can communicate environmental information over long distances through mechanical forces transmitted via the collagenous extracellular matrix, even without direct cell-to-cell contact.