4DCELL DEVICE

Coverslips coated with microstructured gels

READ-OUTS

Constrain of cell size in a substrate of a defined stiffness, functional electrical properties preservation. 

STANDARD CULTURE LIMITATION

Cardiac pacemaker cells undergo a series of cytoarchitectural patterning events during cardiogenesis that are critical for proper electrical excitability. Cell size regulation – which is scarcely under control in standard cell culture conditions – is crucial for their functional maturation.

CARDIAC PACEMAKER CELLS CYTOARCHITECTURE REGULATION ASSAY

Maintenance of small cell size is beneficial for preserving the potential for high-rate and rhythmic activity in cardiac pacemaker cells.

EXAMPLE

Regulation of cardiac pacemaker cell (CPC) size on 50 kPa polyacrylamide gels with round microwells [1].

CPC size was constrained over the culture period on 50 kPa micropatterned (MP) gels. Maintaining small cell size preserved function, as revealed by calcium transient rate quantification.

REFERENCES

[1] Kandace Thomas, Trevor Henley, Simone Rossi, M Joseph Costello, William Polacheck, Boyce E Griffith, Michael Bressanm, Adherens junction engagement regulates functional patterning of the cardiac pacemaker cell lineage, Dev. Cell 2021, 56(10).