Berlin 2005 – scientific programme
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AKB: Biologische Physik
AKB 100: Poster Session I
AKB 100.3: Poster
Saturday, March 5, 2005, 16:45–18:45, Poster TU D
Interactions of the Extracellular Matrix Protein Collagen I and the Actin Cytoskeleton — •Sarah F. Köster1,2, Jennie B. Leach2, Joyce W. Wong2 und Thomas Pfohl1 — 1Max Planck Institute for Flow Research, Bunsenstraße 10, 37073 Göttingen, Germany — 2Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, 44 Cummington Street, Boston, MA 02215, USA
Both the extracellular matrix (ECM) where collagen is the most important building block and the actin cytoskeleton impact the mechanical properties of mammalian tissue. The study of these fibrous proteins and all the more their interaction is thus a very interesting field whenever looking at living beings. We use a microfluidic diffusive mixing device to create a defined pH gradient in a microchannel which in turn initiates the polymerization and concurrent alignment of soluble collagen into fibrils under hydrodynamic flow. We are thus able to investigate collagen fibrillogeneisis by means of polarization microscopy and x-ray diffraction. Furthermore, substrates prepared by using this technique are used as scaffolds for cell growth. Since the collagen structure has precise alignment in native blood vessels, study of the impact of highly anisotropic (aligned) collagen on vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) provides much-needed insights towards structure-property-function relationships between the ECM and the cytoskeleton. Anisotropic collagen induces alignment of the cytoskeleton and may facilitate the study of the cytoskeleton by means fluorescence microscopy and in addition by x-ray diffraction.