Hydrodynamically-Assembled Multicellular System towards structural self-organization and functional crosstalk
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: In vitro models are widely used in fundamental research and high-throughput drug discovery. Particularly the sensory neurons dissociated from dorsal root ganglion (DRG) are cultured in monolayer to study the pain associated biology. The problem of monolayer culture is that the naïve multicellular architecture is deprived. The impact of multicellular assembly on biology remains elusive. Also, biofabrication of multicellular system usually depends on a complex scaffold design to support the aggregate which is difficult to scale up. The scaffold-cell interaction may confound the in vitro testing result. Here, we present a scaffold-free assembly using hydrodynamic forces. Cells are assembled in normal culture medium into a precise geometry within two minutes. During culture, the DRG cells self-organize into a 2.5 ~ 3-dimensional architecture. Cells binds to each other to maintain their shape and mechanobiology. We demonstrate interneuron crosstalk in the multicellular system via the synchronization of calcium signals and the cluster-wise expression of neuronal activation markers. Thus, multicellular architecture determines the cell shape and functional crosstalk. This evidence pinpoints the multicellular principle of in vitro models. The scaffold-free assembling is a simple tool to improve the robustness of in vitro model in predicting in vivo biology, which may benefit the innovation in pain medicine.
INSTRUMENT(S):
ORGANISM(S): Bos Taurus (bovine)
TISSUE(S): Sensory Neuron, Cell Culture
SUBMITTER:
Marcello Manfredi
LAB HEAD: Marcello Manfredi
PROVIDER: PXD063249 | Pride | 2026-05-06
REPOSITORIES: Pride
ACCESS DATA