Imaging cells within 3D cell-derived matrix

Abstract

Much of what is known about the mechanisms regulating cell adhesion and migration come from in vitro studies of cells plated on 2-dimensional (2D) extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins. The importance of studying these processes in cells within 3-dimensional (3D) environments is becoming increasingly recognised, as a number of studies have now demonstrated that adhesion formation and migration are markedly different in cells within 3D environments (Cukierman et al. Science 1708-1712, 2001). It is also known that the composition and pliability or density of the ECM are important in regulating cell adhesion and migration (Cukierman et al. Science 1708-1712, 2001). Cell-derived matrices (CDM) are naturally deposited fibrillar ECM from fibroblasts that can be used to study the adhesions and migration of cells in a more physiologically relevant environment.