Navigating neurites utilize cellular topography of Schwann cell somas and processes for optimal guidance.

ABSTRACT: The path created by aligned Schwann cells (SCs) after nerve injury underlies peripheral nerve regeneration. We developed geometric bioinspired substrates to extract key information needed for axon guidance by deconstructing the topographical cues presented by SCs. We have previously reported materials that directly replicate SC topography with micro- and nanoscale resolution, but a detailed explanation of the means of directed axon extension on SC topography has not yet been described. Here, using neurite tracing and time-lapse microscopy, we analyzed the SC features that influence axon guidance. Novel poly(dimethylsiloxane) materials, fabricated via photolithography, incorporated bioinspired topographical components with the shapes and sizes of aligned SCs, namely somas and processes, whe

SUBMITTER: Lopez-Fagundo C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4115662 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature