ABSTRACT
The development of different techniques based on natural and polymeric scaffolds are useful for the design of different biomimetic materials. These approaches, however, require supplementary steps for the chemical or physical modification of the biomaterial. To avoid such steps, in the present study, we constructed a new multifunctional protein that can be easily immobilized onto hydrophobic surfaces, and at the same time helps enhance specific cell adhesion and proliferation onto collagen substrates. A collagen binding domain was fused to a previously constructed protein, which had an epidermal growth factor fused to a hydrophobic peptide that allows for cell adhesion. The new fusion protein, designated fnCBD-ERE-EGF is produced in Escherichia coli, and its abilities to bind to collagen and promote cell proliferation were investigated. fnCBD-ERE-EGF was shown to keep both collagen binding and cell growth-promoting activities comparable to those of the corresponding unfused proteins. The results obtained in this study also suggest the use of a fnCBD-ERE-EGF as an alternative for the design of multifunctional ECM-bound growth factor based materials.
Subject(s)
Collagen/metabolism , Epidermal Growth Factor/metabolism , Immobilized Proteins/metabolism , Recombinant Fusion Proteins/metabolism , Biomimetic Materials/metabolism , Cell Adhesion , Cell Line , Cell Proliferation , Elastin/genetics , Elastin/metabolism , Epidermal Growth Factor/genetics , Escherichia coli/genetics , Humans , Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions , Immobilized Proteins/genetics , Models, Molecular , Oligopeptides/genetics , Oligopeptides/metabolism , Recombinant Fusion Proteins/genetics , Tissue EngineeringABSTRACT
We have developed cell sheet technology as a modern method for the fabrication of functional tissue-like and organ-like structures. This technology allows for a sheet of interconnected cells and cells in full contact with their natural extracellular environment to be obtained. A cell sheet can be patterned and composed according to more than one cell type. The key technology of cell sheet engineering is that a fabricated cell sheet can be harvested and transplanted utilizing temperature-responsive surfaces. In this review, we summarize different aspects of cell sheet engineering and provide a survey of the application of cell sheets as a suitable material for biofabrication and clinics. Moreover, since cell micropatterning is a key tool for cell sheet engineering, in this review we focus on the introduction of our approaches to cell micropatterning and cell co-culture to the principles of automation and how they can be subjected to easy robotics programming. Finally, efforts towards making cell sheet technology suitable for biofabrication and robotic biofabrication are also summarized.
