Substrate stiffness affects neural network activity in an extracellular matrix proteins dependent manner

Publication date: 1 October 2018Source: Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces, Volume 170Author(s): Yu-Qiao Wen, Xiaohui Gao, Aiping Wang, Yu Yang, Sisi Liu, Zhang Yu, Guan-Bing Song, Hu-Cheng ZhaoAbstractNeuronal growth, differentiation, extension, branching and neural network activity are strongly influenced by the mechanical property of extracellular matrix (ECM). However, the mechanism by which substrate stiffness regulates a neural network activity, and the importance of ECM composition in conferring substrate stiffness sensing have not been explored. To address this question, the hippocampal neurons were seeded on the polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrate with different stiffness, which were coated with fibronectin and laminin respectively. Our results show that voltage-gated Ca2+ channel currents are greater in neurons on the stiff substrate than on the soft substrate. In addition, the neurons exhibit a greater increase of Ca2+ currents on laminin-coated stiff substrate than on those coated with fibronectin, indicating that the composition of ECM can modulate responses to substrate stiffness of neurons. Paired patch-clamp recordings have shown that upregulation of neural effective synaptic connectivity is greater on the laminin-coated stiff substrate than on the fibronectin-coated ones. Consistently, laminin-coated stiff substrate enhances Ca2+ oscillations of neurons is greater that compared with the fibronectin-coated ones. Our study demonstrates that a direct role ...
Source: Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces - Category: Biochemistry Source Type: research