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Control of Hydroid Colony Form by Surface Heterogeneity
Leo W Buss1,2, Evan D Buss1, Christopher P Anderson1
1Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States of America.
Plos One
|June 4, 2016
Summary
The colonial hydroid Podocoryna carnea stolon tip preferentially grows in specific microgrooves. Surface etching can guide hydroid colony growth into microfluidic circuits.
Area of Science:
- Marine biology
- Developmental biology
- Biomaterials science
Background:
- Colonial hydroids like Podocoryna carnea exhibit sessile growth patterns.
- Motile stolon tips are crucial for colony expansion and substrate exploration.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the directed growth of Podocoryna carnea stolon tips within surface microgrooves.
- To determine if surface topography influences hydroid colony morphology and development.
Main Methods:
- Etching silicon wafers with microgrooves of varying dimensions (width:depth).
- Culturing Podocoryna carnea colonies on these patterned surfaces.
- Analyzing stolon tip navigation and growth patterns within the microgrooves and grid intersections.
Main Results:
- Stolons showed preferential growth in 50:50 μm and 100:50 μm (width:depth) grooves.
- Colonies remained confined to grooves in a grid pattern with 150 μm intersections.
- Hydroid colonies successfully conformed to a Yale Y-shaped microcircuit pattern.
Conclusions:
- Podocoryna carnea stolon tips exhibit taxis in response to surface topography.
- Surface microfabrication is a viable method for directing hydroid colony growth.
- This technique enables the creation of bio-integrated microfluidic devices using hydroid perisarc.
