A versatile plasma lithography technique has been developed to generate stable surface patterns for guiding cellular attachment. This technique can be applied to create cell networks including those that mimic natural tissues and has been used for studying several, distinct cell types.
Systematic manipulation of a cell microenvironment with micro- and nanoscale resolution is often required for deciphering various cellular and molecular phenomena. To address this requirement, we have developed a plasma lithography technique to manipulate the cellular microenvironment by creating a patterned surface with feature sizes ranging from 100 nm to millimeters. The goal of this technique is to be able to study, in a controlled way, the behaviors of individual cells as well as groups of cells and their interactions.
This plasma lithography method is based on selective modification of the surface chemistry on a substrate by means of shielding the contact of low-temperature plasma with a physical mold. This selective shielding leaves a chemical pattern which can guide cell attachment and movement. This pattern, or surface template, can then be used to create networks of cells whose structure can mimic that found in nature and produces a controllable environment for experimental investigations. The technique is well suited to studying biological phenomenon as it produces stable surface patterns on transparent polymeric substrates in a biocompatible manner. The surface patterns last for weeks to months and can thus guide interaction with cells for long time periods which facilitates the study of long-term cellular processes, such as differentiation and adaption. The modification to the surface is primarily chemical in nature and thus does not introduce topographical or physical interference for interpretation of results. It also does not involve any harsh or toxic substances to achieve patterning and is compatible for tissue culture. Furthermore, it can be applied to modify various types of polymeric substrates, which due to the ability to tune their properties are ideal for and are widely used in biological applications. The resolution achievable is also beneficial, as isolation of specific processes such as migration, adhesion, or binding allows for discrete, clear observations at the single to multicell level.
This method has been employed to form diverse networks of different cell types for investigations involving migration, signaling, tissue formation, and the behavior and interactions of neurons arraigned in a network.
The cell investigation method presented here enables creation of complex patterns of multicellular networks which mimic biological structures as well as provides a method to produce stimuli that are subcellular in nature which then facilitates investigations of both grouped cell behavior and single cell responses to environmental factors. The use of this method is simple yet robust as it can be quickly performed with low cost equipment in the same lab as the cell culture. It is also strongly cell sensitive, allows easy observation of the resultant behavior and is by nature stable for long time periods, which allows investigation of long term cell behavior. It additionally allows for a diverse range of experiments to be performed as it is compatible with many cell types and can create arbitrary patterns. The long term stability of the technique derives from the fact that the surface functionalization imparted by the plasma is part of the surface and is not a coating or other layer which can be removed or degraded. If kept under liquid, this type of modification can retain its cell guiding ability for months.
The most critical part of the experiment necessary to ensure meaningful results is that of creating the master pattern which will ultimately be used for cell guidance. If this pattern is not properly designed, cells will not appropriately respond to the pattern and may not produce useful behavior. Parameters such as line width, pattern spacing, and others can greatly influence the cell compatibility with a particular pattern, and typically a range of such parameters can be created on the initial photomask to screen for the most appropriate design.
Other important parameters related to carrying out patterning include mold creation, maintaining a dust free environment, cell seeding and general sterility of cell culture. Mold creation may be effected by the various transfer steps which are undertaken to allow for repeated PDMS casting off an epoxy mold. The epoxy mold is created because it will not degrade in the same way as a resist mold with small, high aspect ratio structures under repeated casting. If the transfer molding is done correctly, the dimensions and yield will not be affected but if done incorrectly such as by poorly degassing, incomplete curing, or excessive heating, bubbles, roughness and deformation of a pattern can occur which affects the final outcome. In relation to maintaining a dust free environment, the molds must be kept as clean as possible as any dust can interfere with the proper contact between the working PDMS mold and the surface and thus proper plasma shielding and chemical patterning. The seeding density of the cells also must be optimized to ensure that neither too few or too many cells inhabit the pattern area and sterility must be maintained to avoid bacterial and other contamination of the cells being used.
The technique can also be incorporated with other elements such as microfluidics, microelectrodes, and mechanical probes. This provides additional stimuli to the cells in order to better replicate various physiological conditions during experimentation and future work is focused on studying the effects of these combinations
The authors have nothing to disclose.
We thank D. D. Zhang for insightful discussion and generously providing reagents. M. J. is supported by the NIH Cardiovascular Training Grant, the Arizona Technology Research Initiative Fund, and Achievement Rewards for College Scientists. This work is supported by the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award (1DP2OD007161-01), the National Science Foundation (0855890), and the James S. McDonnell Foundation.
Name of the reagent | Company | Catalogue number | Comments |
Plasma Cleaner And Vacuum Chamber | Harrick Plasma | PDC-001 | |
Inverted fluorescence and phase contrast microscope | Nikon | TE2000-U | |
Microscope stage top incubator | AmScope | Model TCS-100 | Modified to include an enclosure that supplies an appropriate atmosphere |
Polystyrene Petri dish | VWR | 25384-090 | |
Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) | Dow Corning | Sylgard 184 | |
Epoxy | Devcon | 2 ton clear epoxy #14310 | |
Cell culture media | Various | Media follows standard formulations for cell type | |
Retinoic acid | Sigma | R2625 |