2003 May 15; 116(Pt 10): 1881–1892 | Ana I. Teixeira, George A. Abrams, Paul J. Bertics, Christopher J. Murphy, Paul F. Nealey
This study investigates the effects of nanoscale topography on human corneal epithelial cells. The researchers designed lithographically defined substrates with grooves and ridges ranging from 70 nm to 200 nm in width, simulating the topography of the human corneal basement membrane. They found that cells elongated and aligned along the patterns of grooves and ridges, with the percentage of aligned cells being constant across different lateral dimensions from the nano- to micron-scale. The presence of serum in the culture medium increased the percentage of aligned cells. Actin microfilaments and focal adhesions were aligned along the substrate topographies, with the width of focal adhesions determined by the width of the ridges. This work demonstrates that biologically relevant length-scale topographic features can significantly influence epithelial cell behavior, providing insights into cell-substrate interactions and potential applications in cell culture and tissue engineering.This study investigates the effects of nanoscale topography on human corneal epithelial cells. The researchers designed lithographically defined substrates with grooves and ridges ranging from 70 nm to 200 nm in width, simulating the topography of the human corneal basement membrane. They found that cells elongated and aligned along the patterns of grooves and ridges, with the percentage of aligned cells being constant across different lateral dimensions from the nano- to micron-scale. The presence of serum in the culture medium increased the percentage of aligned cells. Actin microfilaments and focal adhesions were aligned along the substrate topographies, with the width of focal adhesions determined by the width of the ridges. This work demonstrates that biologically relevant length-scale topographic features can significantly influence epithelial cell behavior, providing insights into cell-substrate interactions and potential applications in cell culture and tissue engineering.