Cell attachment and long-term growth on derivatizable XXXX surfaces.

@entity13507 @entity7574 @entity4880 @entity19 @entity3787 @entity2975 @entity7030 @entity14743
Important cellular characteristics, including selective adhesion, growth rate, motility, and differentiation, are controlled, in part, by signals received at the cell surface. The molecular mechanisms for the cell surface control of these cell behaviors are largely unknown. In order to probe the role of specific extracellular molecules in controlling cell function, we report the development of synthetic surfaces which generally support the long-term growth of cells yet can be readily derivatized with a wide variety of molecules of biological interest. @entity2975 gels containing a gradient of active @entity13507 groups were prepared and then the @entity14743 were displaced with ligands to generate a gradient of @entity4880 , @entity7030 , or @entity3787 groups. When untransformed @entity19 fibroblasts (BALB/3T3) were seeded on the various surfaces, they attached and grew only on those derivatized with @entity7574 or @entity3787 groups within narrow concentration ranges. Cell growth rate, density, and morphology on @entity2975 gels containing the optimal concentration of @entity4880 groups (approximately 30 mumol/ml) were comparable to those on tissue culture plastic, whereas growth on @entity3787 group-derivatized gels was less extensive. In contrast, short-term (90-min) adhesion to @entity3787 group-derivatized gels was greater than that to @entity4880 -derivatized gels. Both short-term adhesion and long-term growth required serum. Growth-supportive @entity2975 gels were readily derivatized with molecules of biological interest. The techniques reported here are applicable to other types of cell in culture since the nature and concentration of substratum functional groups can be easily varied and tested for support of long-term cell growth.
