Modeling and simulation of chemomechanics at the cell-matrix interface

Chemomechanical characteristics of the extracellular materials with which cells interact can have a profound impact on cell adhesion and migration. To understand and modulate such complex multiscale processes, a detailed understanding of the feedback between a cell and the adjacent microenvironment is crucial. Here, we use computational modeling and simulation to examine the cell-matrix interaction at both the molecular and continuum lengthscales. Using steered molecular dynamics, we consider how extracellular matrix (ECM) stiffness and extracellular pH influence the interaction between cell surface adhesion receptors and extracellular matrix ligands, and we predict potential consequences for focal adhesion formation and dissolution. Using continuum level finite element simulations and analytical methods to model cell-induced ECM deformation as a function of ECM stiffness and thickness, we consider the implications toward design of synthetic substrata for cell biology experiments that intend to decouple chemical and mechanical cues.Key words: cell adhesion, focal adhesion, steered molecular dynamics, finite element, chemomechanics, multiscale modeling, elasticity theory     

Micromechanical coupling between cell surface receptors and RGD peptides

Contact between an adherent cell and the extracellular matrix (ECM) promotes the recruitment of structural and signaling molecules to the cytoplasmic domain of integrins, which mediate cell adhesion, cell migration, and cell growth. It is unclear whether the intracellular recruitment of these cytoplasmic molecules enhances the affinity between the ECM and the extracellular domain of the cell surface receptors (integrins). Using soft microneedles coated with Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) peptides, a sequence commonly shared by ECM proteins, we apply a localized ramp shear stress to the surface of a HeLa cell and measure the cell stiffness and the collective (or apparent) unbinding lifetime of its surface receptors to RGD. These measurements demonstrate that both cell stiffness and the collective cell surface receptor-RGD unbinding lifetime increase with the duration of the pre-shear cell-microneedle contact and with the rate of shear applied to the cell membrane. These parameters are also crucially dependent on the integrity of the actin filament network. Our results are consistent with a model of positive feedback signaling where RGD-mediated initial recruitment of cytoskeletal proteins to the cytoplasmic domain of integrins directly enhances the interaction between the extracellular domain of integrins and the RGD sequence of ECM molecules.     

A phenomenological cohesive model for the macroscopic simulation of cell–matrix adhesions

Cell adhesion is crucial for cells to not only physically interact with each other but also sense their microenvironment and respond accordingly. In fact, adherent cells can generate physical forces that are transmitted to the surrounding matrix, regulating the formation of cell–matrix adhesions. The main purpose of this work is to develop a computational model to simulate the dynamics of cell–matrix adhesions through a cohesive formulation within the framework of the finite element method and based on the principles of continuum damage mechanics. This model enables the simulation of the mechanical adhesion between cell and extracellular matrix (ECM) as regulated by local multidirectional forces and thus predicts the onset and growth of the adhesion. In addition, this numerical approach allows the simulation of the cell as a whole, as it models the complete mechanical interaction between cell and ECM. As a result, we can investigate and quantify how different mechanical conditions in the cell (e.g., contractile forces, actin cytoskeletal properties) or in the ECM (e.g., stiffness, external forces) can regulate the dynamics of cell–matrix adhesions.     

From molecular signal activation to locomotion: an integrated, multiscale analysis of cell motility on defined matrices

The adhesion, mechanics, and motility of eukaryotic cells are highly sensitive to the ligand density and stiffness of the extracellular matrix (ECM). This relationship bears profound implications for stem cell engineering, tumor invasion and metastasis. Yet, our quantitative understanding of how ECM biophysical properties, mechanotransductive signals, and assembly of contractile and adhesive structures collude to control these cell behaviors remains extremely limited. Here we present a novel multiscale model of cell migration on ECMs of defined biophysical properties that integrates local activation of biochemical signals with adhesion and force generation at the cell-ECM interface. We capture the mechanosensitivity of individual cellular components by dynamically coupling ECM properties to the activation of Rho and Rac GTPases in specific portions of the cell with actomyosin contractility, cell-ECM adhesion bond formation and rupture, and process extension and retraction. We show that our framework is capable of recreating key experimentally-observed features of the relationship between cell migration and ECM biophysical properties. In particular, our model predicts for the first time recently reported transitions from filopodial to "stick-slip" to gliding motility on ECMs of increasing stiffness, previously observed dependences of migration speed on ECM stiffness and ligand density, and high-resolution measurements of mechanosensitive protrusion dynamics during cell motility we newly obtained for this study. It also relates the biphasic dependence of cell migration speed on ECM stiffness to the tendency of the cell to polarize. By enabling the investigation of experimentally-inaccessible microscale relationships between mechanotransductive signaling, adhesion, and motility, our model offers new insight into how these factors interact with one another to produce complex migration patterns across a variety of ECM conditions.     

Integrin-linked kinase (ILK) and its interactors: a new paradigm for the coupling of extracellular matrix to actin cytoskeleton and signaling complexes.

How intracellular cytoskeletal and signaling proteins connect and communicate with the extracellular matrix (ECM) is a fundamental question in cell biology. Recent biochemical, cell biological, and genetic studies have revealed important roles of cytoplasmic integrin-linked kinase (ILK) and its interactive proteins in these processes. Cell adhesion to ECM is an important process that controls cell shape change, migration, proliferation, survival, and differentiation. Upon adhesion to ECM, integrins and a selective group of cytoskeletal and signaling proteins are recruited to cell matrix contact sites where they link the actin cytoskeleton to the ECM and mediate signal transduction between the intracellular and extracellular compartments. In this review, we discuss the molecular activities and cellular functions of ILK, a protein that is emerging as a key component of the cell-ECM adhesion structures.     

细胞外基质硬度调控间充质干细胞分化

新近研究表叽细胞外基质（extracellularmatrix,ECM）的物理性质,特别是硬度或弹性,能对细胞的黏附、铺展、迁移、增殖、分化和凋亡等多种功能和行为产生重要影响。间充质干细胞（mesenchymalstemcells,MSCs）是组织工程和细胞治疗的理想种子细胞。ECM硬度可诱导MSCs向脂肪、软骨、神经、肌肉和骨等方向分化。该文综合论述了ECM硬度对干细胞分化的影响,涵盖了构建ECM硬度的测量、调控与表征等,不同培养条件下干细胞对硬度的响应和分化以及硬度和其他因素的联合作用;在此基础上,进一步论述了干细胞分化过程中细胞感应ECM硬度并转化为生物学信号的机制和信号通路。该文还总结了在ECM硬度调控干细胞分化行为领域最新的研究进展情况,较为系统地分析了材料学、细胞生物学、分子生物学水平的主要影响因素,并对本领域未来需要重点研究的问题进行了展望。     

The distribution of vinculin to lipid rafts plays an important role in sensing stiffness of extracellular matrix

Extracellular matrix (ECM) stiffness regulates cell differentiation, survival, and migration. Our previous study has shown that the interaction of the focal adhesion protein vinculin with vinexin α plays a critical role in sensing ECM stiffness and regulating stiffness-dependent cell migration. However, the mechanism how vinculin–vinexin α interaction affects stiffness-dependent cell migration is unclear. Lipid rafts are membrane microdomains that are known to affect ECM-induced signals and cell behaviors. Here, we show that vinculin and vinexin α can localize to lipid rafts. Cell-ECM adhesion, intracellular tension, and a rigid ECM promote vinculin distribution to lipid rafts. The disruption of lipid rafts with Methyl-β-cyclodextrin impaired the ECM stiffness-mediated regulation of vinculin behavior and rapid cell migration on rigid ECM. These results indicate that lipid rafts play an important role in ECM-stiffness regulation of cell migration via vinculin.     

The impact of adhesion on cellular invasion processes in cancer and development

In this paper we consider a simple continuous model to describe cell invasion, incorporating the effects of both cell-cell adhesion and cell-matrix adhesion, along with cell growth and proteolysis by cells of the surrounding extracellular matrix (ECM). We demonstrate that the model is capable of supporting both noninvasive and invasive tumour growth according to the relative strength of cell-cell to cell-matrix adhesion. Specifically, for sufficiently strong cell-matrix adhesion and/or sufficiently weak cell-cell adhesion, degradation of the surrounding ECM accompanied by cell-matrix adhesion pulls the cells into the surrounding ECM. We investigate the criticality of matrix heterogeneity on shaping invasion, demonstrating that a highly heterogeneous ECM can result in a “fingering” of the invasive front, echoing observations in real-life invasion processes ranging from malignant tumour growth to neural crest migration during embryonic development.     

An antibody that inhibits fibronectin-independent adhesion of fibroblasts to extracellular matrix material

Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) fibroblasts adhere to the extracellular matrix by both fibronectin-dependent and -independent mechanisms (Harper and Juliano, 1981a,b). Previous studies have suggested that a trypsin-sensitive, 265,000-dalton membrane glycoprotein (gp265) is involved in the fibronectin-independent adhesion process. Using a polyclonal antibody against soluble products obtained from trypsin-treated CHO cells, we have been able to further analyze this involvement. This antibody immunoprecipitates a trypsin-sensitive 265,000-dalton protein from detergent-solubilized cells. Incubation of AdvF11, a variant cell line that does not utilize fibronectin for adhesion, with this antibody blocks their adhesion to extracellular matrix material (ECM). The immunoglobulin fraction will also partially block adhesion of the parental cell line to ECM particularly when the ECM is first treated with an antifibronectin antibody. Taken together these results add support for the involvement of gp265 in fibronectin-independent adhesion and provide a methodology for further characterization.     

Loss of miR-203 regulates cell shape and matrix adhesion through ROBO1/Rac/FAK in response to stiffness

Breast tumor progression is accompanied by changes in the surrounding extracellular matrix (ECM) that increase stiffness of the microenvironment. Mammary epithelial cells engage regulatory pathways that permit dynamic responses to mechanical cues from the ECM. Here, we identify a SLIT2/ROBO1 signaling circuit as a key regulatory mechanism by which cells sense and respond to ECM stiffness to preserve tensional homeostasis. We observed that Robo1 ablation in the developing mammary gland compromised actin stress fiber assembly and inhibited cell contractility to perturb tissue morphogenesis, whereas SLIT2 treatment stimulated Rac and increased focal adhesion kinase activity to enhance cell tension by maintaining cell shape and matrix adhesion. Further investigation revealed that a stiff ECM increased Robo1 levels by down-regulating miR-203. Consistently, patients whose tumor expressed a low miR-203/high Robo1 expression pattern exhibited a better overall survival prognosis. These studies show that cells subjected to stiffened environments up-regulate Robo1 as a protective mechanism that maintains cell shape and facilitates ECM adherence.     

Exosome-mediated transduction of mechanical force regulates prostate cancer migration via microRNA

Physical cues in the extracellular microenvironment regulate cancer cell metastasis. Functional microRNA (miRNA) carried by cancer derived exosomes play a critical role in extracellular communication between cells and the extracellular microenvironment. However, little is known about the role of exosomes loaded miRNAs in the mechanical force transmission between cancer cells and extracellular microenvironment. Herein, our results suggest that stiff extracellular matrix (ECM) induced exosomes promote cancer cell migration. The ECM mechanical force regulated the exosome miRNA cargo of prostate cancer cells. Exosome miRNAs regulated by the ECM mechanical force modulated cancer cell metastasis by regulating cell motility, ECM remodeling and the interaction between cancer cells and nerves. Focal adhesion kinase mediated-ECM mechanical force regulated the intracellular miRNA expression, and F-actin mediate-ECM mechanical force regulated miRNA packaging into exosomes. The above results demonstrated that the exosome miRNA cargo promoted cancer metastasis by transmitting the ECM mechanical force. The ECM mechanical force may play multiple roles in maintaining the microenvironment of cancer metastasis through the exosome miRNA cargo.     

Modeling Tissue Polarity in Context

Polarity is critical for development and tissue-specific function. However, the acquisition and maintenance of tissue polarity is context dependent. Thus, cell and tissue polarity depend on cell adhesion which is regulated by the cytoskeleton and influenced by the biochemical composition of the extracellular microenvironment and modified by biomechanical cues within the tissue. These biomechanical cues include fluid flow induced shear stresses, cell-density and confinement-mediated compression, and cellular actomyosin tension intrinsic to the tissue or induced in response to morphogens or extracellular matrix stiffness. Here, we discuss how extracellular matrix stiffness and fluid flow influence cell–cell and cell–extracellular matrix adhesion and alter cytoskeletal organization to modulate cell and tissue polarity. We describe model systems that when combined with state of the art molecular screens and high-resolution imaging can be used to investigate how force modulates cell and tissue polarity.     

Structural and mechanical properties of the proliferative zone of the developing murine growth plate cartilage assessed by atomic force microscopy

The growth plate (GP) is a dynamic tissue driving bone elongation through chondrocyte proliferation, hypertrophy and matrix production. The extracellular matrix (ECM) is the major determinant of GP biomechanical properties and assumed to play a pivotal role for chondrocyte geometry and arrangement, thereby guiding proper growth plate morphogenesis and bone elongation. To elucidate the relationship between morphology and biomechanics during cartilage morphogenesis, we have investigated age-dependent structural and elastic properties of the proliferative zone of the murine GP by atomic force microscopy (AFM) from the embryonic stage to adulthood. We observed a progressive cell flattening and arrangement into columns from embryonic day 13.5 until postnatal week 2, correlating with an increasing collagen density and ECM stiffness, followed by a nearly constant cell shape, collagen density and ECM stiffness from week 2 to 4 months. At all ages, we found marked differences in the density and organization of the collagen network between the intracolumnar matrix, and the intercolumnar matrix, associated with a roughly two-fold higher stiffness of the intracolumnar matrix compared to the intercolumnar matrix. This difference in local ECM stiffness may force the cells to arrange in a columnar structure upon cell division and drive bone elongation during embryonic and juvenile development.     

Integrin adhesions: Who’s on first? What's on second?

Cell migration requires the coordination of adhesion site assembly and turnover. Canonical models for nascent adhesion formation postulate that integrin binding to extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins results in the rapid recruitment of cytoskeletal proteins such as talin and paxillin to integrin cytoplasmic domains. It is thought that integrin-talin clusters recruit and activate tyrosine kinases such as focal adhesion kinase (FAK). However, the molecular connections of this linkage remain unresolved. Our recent findings support an alternative model whereby FAK recruits talin to new sites of β1 integrin-mediated adhesion in mouse embryonic fibroblasts and human ovarian carcinoma cells. This is dependent on a direct binding interaction between FAK and talin and occurs independently of direct talin binding to β1 integrin. Herein, we discuss differences between nascent and mature adhesions, interactions between FAK, talin and paxillin, possible mechanisms of FAK activation and how this FAK-talin complex may function to promote cell motility through increased adhesion turnover.     

Integrin adhesions

Cell migration requires the coordination of adhesion site assembly and turnover. Canonical models for nascent adhesion formation postulate that integrin binding to extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins results in the rapid recruitment of cytoskeletal proteins such as talin and paxillin to integrin cytoplasmic domains. It is thought that integrin-talin clusters recruit and activate tyrosine kinases such as focal adhesion kinase (FAK). However, the molecular connections of this linkage remain unresolved. Our recent findings support an alternative model whereby FAK recruits talin to new sites of β1 integrin-mediated adhesion in mouse embryonic fibroblasts and human ovarian carcinoma cells. This is dependent on a direct binding interaction between FAK and talin and occurs independently of direct talin binding to β1 integrin. Herein, we discuss differences between nascent and mature adhesions, interactions between FAK, talin and paxillin, possible mechanisms of FAK activation and how this FAK-talin complex may function to promote cell motility through increased adhesion turnover.     

The universal dynamics of cell spreading

Cell adhesion and motility depend strongly on the interactions between cells and extracellular matrix (ECM) substrates. When plated onto artificial adhesive surfaces, cells first flatten and deform extensively as they spread. At the molecular level, the interaction of membrane-based integrins with the ECM has been shown to initiate a complex cascade of signaling events [1], which subsequently triggers cellular morphological changes and results in the generation of contractile forces [2]. Here, we focus on the early stages of cell spreading and probe their dynamics by quantitative visualization and biochemical manipulation with a variety of cell types and adhesive surfaces, adhesion receptors, and cytoskeleton-altering drugs. We find that the dynamics of adhesion follows a universal power-law behavior. This is in sharp contrast with the common belief that spreading is regulated by either the diffusion of adhesion receptors toward the growing adhesive patch [3-5] or by actin polymerization [6-8]. To explain this, we propose a simple quantitative and predictive theory that models cells as viscous adhesive cortical shells enclosing a less viscous interior. Thus, although cell spreading is driven by well-identified biomolecular interactions, it is dynamically limited by its mesoscopic structure and material properties.     

ECM‐dependent mRNA expression profiles and phosphorylation patterns of p130Cas,FAK, ERK and p38 MAPK of osteoblast‐like cells

Osteoblast cells synthesize collagen‐rich ECM (extracellular matrix) in response to various environmental cues, but little is known about ECM‐dependent variations in phosphorylation patterns. Using MC3T3 E1 osteoblast‐like cells and mouse whole‐genome microarrays, we investigated molecular signalling affected by collagen‐based ECMs. A genome‐wide expression analysis revealed that cells grown in the 3D collagen matrix partially suppressed the genes associated with cell adhesion and cell cycling. Western analysis demonstrated that the expression of the active (phosphorylated) form of p130Cas, FAK (focal adhesion kinase) and ERK1/2 (extracellular‐signal‐regulated protein kinase 1/2) was reduced in cells grown in the 3D matrix. Conversely, phosphorylation of p38 MAPK (p38 mitogen‐activated protein kinase) was elevated in the 3D matrix, and its up‐regulation was linked to an increase in mRNA levels of dentin matrix protein 1 and bone sialoprotein. Although multiple characteristics such as surface topography, chemical composition and mechanical properties differ in the preparations of our collagen‐rich milieu, our observations support the notion that geometrical alterations in ECM environments can alter the phosphorylation pattern of p130Cas, FAK, ERK1/2 and p38 MAPK and lead to a differential developmental fate.     

Cell adhesion profiling using extracellular matrix protein microarrays

We have developed a microarray-based system for cell adhesion profiling of large panels of cell-adhesive proteins to increase the throughput of in vitro cell adhesion assays, which are currently primarily performed in multiwell plates. Miniaturizing cell adhesion assays to an array format required the development of protocols for the reproducible microspotting of extracellular matrix (ECM) protein solutions and for the handling of cell suspensions during the assay. We generated ECM protein microarrays with high reproducibility in microspot protein content using nitrocellulose-coated glass microslides, combined with piezoelectric microspotting of protein solutions. Protocols were developed that allowed us to use 5000 cells or fewer on an array of 4 x 4 mm consisting of 64 microspots. Using this microarray system, we identified differences of adhesive properties of three cell lines to 14 different ECM proteins. Furthermore, the sensitivity and accuracy of the assays were increased using microarrays with ranges of ECM protein amounts. This microarray system will be particularly useful for extensive comparative cell adhesion profiling studies when only low amounts of adhesive substrate and cells, such as stem cells or cells from biopsies, are available.     

Identification of the heparin-binding determinants within fibronectin repeat III1: role in cell spreading and growth

Fibronectins are high molecular mass glycoproteins that circulate as soluble molecules in the blood, and are also found in an insoluble, multimeric form in extracellular matrices throughout the body. Soluble fibronectins are polymerized into insoluble extracellular matrix (ECM) fibrils via a cell-dependent process. Recent studies indicate that the interaction of cells with the ECM form of fibronectin promotes actin organization and cell contractility, increases cell growth and migration, and enhances the tensile strength of artificial tissue constructs; ligation of integrins alone is insufficient to trigger these responses. Evidence suggests that the effect of ECM fibronectin on cell function is mediated in part by a matricryptic heparin-binding site within the first III1 repeat (FNIII1). In this study, we localized the heparin-binding activity of FNIII1 to a cluster of basic amino acids, Arg613, Trp614, Arg615, and Lys617. Site-directed mutagenesis of a recombinant fibronectin construct engineered to mimic the ECM form of fibronectin demonstrates that these residues are also critical for stimulating cell spreading and increasing cell proliferation. Cell proliferation has been tightly correlated with cell area. Using integrin- and heparin-binding fibronectin mutants, we found a positive correlation between cell spreading and growth when cells were submaximally spread on ECM protein-coated surfaces at the time of treatment. However, cells maximally spread on vitronectin or fibronectin still responded to the fibronectin matrix mimetic with an increase in growth, indicating that an absolute change in cell area is not required for the increase in cell proliferation induced by the matricryptic site of FNIII1.     

Finite element analysis of the effects of focal adhesion mechanical properties and substrate stiffness on cell migration

The attachment of cells to the extracellular matrix (ECM) is achieved by the specific binding of cell-surface receptors to ligands present in the ECM. These interactions are important for many biological processes, including cell migration, cancer development, and wound healing. Our objective was to develop a computational model to investigate how focal adhesion mechanical properties, substrate stiffness, and intracellular stresses affect cell-matrix interactions during cell migration on a flat substrate. In our model, the cell-substrate traction was proportional to the bound receptor concentration, relative velocity between the cell and substrate, and the cell-substrate friction coefficient. Simulation results showed that even if the receptor number and ligand density were fixed, the mechanical properties of the focal adhesions still affected cell-ECM interactions. In fact, the cell-substrate traction was biphasic with respect to the friction coefficient, a parameter that can be used to quantify focal adhesion properties. In contrast, the cell speed was a monotonically decreasing function with respect to this parameter. Furthermore, tractions showed greater increases when the maximum intracellular stress was increased from 400 to 600Pa than when substrate stiffness was increased from 0.5 to 100kPa. This mathematical model is able to quantify the effects of focal adhesion mechanical properties, extracellular stiffness, and intracellular stresses on cell-ECM interactions, and should be beneficial to research in cancer development.