Protocol to transfer epithelial acini between different extracellular matrices and orient fibril organization

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Cell Biology
• Tissue Engineering

Background:

• Extracellular matrix (ECM) is crucial for epithelial tissue support and cell function.
• ECM properties like stiffness, elasticity, and fibrillar organization significantly impact epithelial responses.
• Understanding these interactions is key for tissue engineering and disease modeling.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a protocol for culturing and transferring epithelial acini.
• To demonstrate aligning collagen fibrils in a gel using external stretching.
• To investigate the influence of aligned ECM on epithelial acini.

Main Methods:

• Culture of MCF10A epithelial acini.
• Transfer of acini from Matrigel to collagen gel.
• Axial alignment of collagen fibrils via external gel stretching.

Main Results:

• Successful culture and transfer of epithelial acini.
• Demonstration of reproducible collagen fibril alignment.
• Establishment of a model to study ECM-tissue interactions.

Conclusions:

• The presented protocol enables the study of epithelial acini within aligned collagen matrices.
• This method provides a foundation for exploring how mechanical ECM properties influence epithelial behavior.
• The protocol requires adaptation for cell lines beyond MCF10A.