Pericellular conditions regulate extent of cell-mediated compaction of collagen gels.

ABSTRACT: Cell-mediated compaction of the extracellular matrix (ECM) plays a critical role in tissue engineering, wound healing, embryonic development, and many disease states. The ECM is compacted as a result of cellular traction forces. We hypothesize that a cell mechanically remodels the nearby ECM until some target conditions are obtained, and then the cell stops compacting. A key feature of this hypothesis is that ECM compaction primarily occurs in the pericellular region and the properties of the ECM in the pericellular region govern cellular force generation. We developed a mathematical model to describe the amount of macroscopic compaction of cell-populated collagen gels in terms of the initial cell and collagen densities, as well as the final conditions of the pericellular environment (defi

SUBMITTER: Stevenson MD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2895394 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature