Regulation of Cultured Fibroblast Cell Polarity on Adhesive Micropatterns

Abstract

In cultured cell systems, fibroblastic cells select specific substrates for typical cell-substrate adhesion. However, the mechanisms that regulate orientation and polarity are not clear. In this study, using glass-bottomed culture dishes with adhesive micropatterns to regulate polarized cell spreading, we analyzed the behavior of cultured fibroblasts during the organization of cell polarity on adhesive micropatterns. When fibroblasts attached to the micropatterns, both tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins and focal adhesion kinase were strongly detected along the inner border between the adhesive micropatterns and non-adhesive glass surface. The above observation suggests that the confinement of the cells by adhesive micropatterns affects fibroblastic cell polarity. The localization of focal adhesion kinase therefore seems to play a key role in recognition of the border between the adhesive micropattern and the non-adhesive glass surface