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Photochemical Patterning of Cellular Microenvironments

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Book cover Microscale Technologies for Cell Engineering

Abstract

Advances in photochemistry have profoundly impacted biological research by enabling researchers to both observe and direct cellular signaling processes. Recently, a number of innovations have been made toward the goal of using light-mediated reactions to manipulate the chemical and physical nature of hydrogel-based cellular microenvironments with spatiotemporal control. For example, using photoaddition and photocleavage reactions it is possible to both add and remove biochemical cues from cellular microenvironments. Matrix stiffness can also be dynamically modulated by using light to induce secondary cross-links, thereby stiffening the microenvironment, or by using photocleavage reactions to reduce the cross-link density and decrease the microenvironmental stiffness. Collectively, these approaches provide researchers with a diverse toolkit for probing the effects of matrix-derived signals, guiding cellular organization, and influencing cell-fate decisions. In this chapter, a summary of the state of the art in the field, a description of the photochemical reactions that are available, and a discussion of some practical considerations for patterning cellular microenvironments are provided. Challenges facing the field are also highlighted in a prospectus for future work.

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Abbreviations

2D:

Two-dimensional

3D:

Three-dimensional

CuAAC:

Copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition

DMAP:

Dimethoxy-2-phenyl-acetophenone

E:

Young’s modulus

ECM:

Extracellular matrix

hMSC:

Human mesenchymal stem cells

I2959:

1-[4-(2-Hydroxyethoxy)-phenyl]-2-hydroxy-2-methyl-1-propane-1-one

IR:

Infrared

LAP:

Lithium acylphosphinate; lithium phenyl-2,4,6-trimethyl-benzoylphosphinate

MAPK:

Mitogen-activated protein kinase

norb/FL-BSA:

Norbornene-functionalized, fluorescein-labeled bovine serum albumin

norb/TAMRA-BSA:

Norbornene-functionalized, tetramethylrhodamine-labeled bovine serum albumin

PEG:

Poly(ethylene glycol)

PI3K:

Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase

t c :

Critical exposure time required to reach reverse gelation during photodegradation

UV:

Ultraviolet

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  1. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA

    Daniel L. Alge

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Correspondence to Daniel L. Alge .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA

    Ankur Singh

  2. Eng & Dept of Material Science and Eng, Texas A&M University, Dept of Biomedical, College Station, Texas, USA

    Akhilesh K. Gaharwar

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Alge, D.L. (2016). Photochemical Patterning of Cellular Microenvironments. In: Singh, A., Gaharwar, A. (eds) Microscale Technologies for Cell Engineering. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-20726-1_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-20726-1_2

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