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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik
BP 9: Poster Session Ib
BP 9.13: Poster
Monday, March 18, 2024, 18:00–20:30, Poster D
Investigating the mechanical regulation of axon growth in three-dimensional matrices — •Niklas Gampl1,2 and Kristian Franze1,2,3 — 1Max-Planck-Zentrum für Physik und Medizin, Erlangen, Germany — 2Institute of Medical Physics and Microtissue Engineering, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany — 3Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
During brain development, neurons extend long axons, which grow along well-defined pathways to their destination. This axon pathfinding is known to be regulated by chemical guidance cues which are produced by neuroepithelial cells. However, Xenopus retinal ganglion cell axons have additionally been shown to actively probe their mechanical environment in vivo and when cultured on 2D substrates. To study this mechanical regulation in 3D environments with tunable stiffness, we developed a framework to culture Xenopus eye primordia in collagen-based hydrogels. We characterised the mechanical and topological properties of these matrices for different collagen concentrations and used them to mimic the mechanical environment neurons encounter in vivo during early embryonic development. We found that axon length was reduced in stiff (G' = 450 Pa) compared to soft (G' = 40 Pa) hydrogels and that growth cones, the motile tips of axons, exert contractile forces of up to 2 nN on their 3D environment. Further investigation of the mechanical and chemical regulation of axon growth in 3D environments could improve our understanding of the complex interplay between guidance cues and their integration by cells.
Keywords: mechanobiology; neuroscience; 3D-hydrogel culture; brain development; axon pathfinding