Programmable Cell Adhesion Encoded by DNA Hybridization

February 7, 2006 | Source: KurzweilAI

A new technique in which single strands of synthetic DNA are used to firmly fasten biological cells to non-biological surfaces has been developed by researchers with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of California at Berkeley.

This technique holds promise for a wide variety of applications, including biosensors, drug-screening technologies, growing artificial tissues, and design of neural networks.

To date, researchers have been attaching cells to surfaces using an array of cell adhesion proteins, especially integrins. A surface will be laid out in a desired pattern with ligands, to which the integrin-coated cells will bind. However, integrins are cell-adhesion generalists; just about all of the different types of cells will stick to the same ligands. This makes integrin-coated cells ill-suited for applications that require precise patterns of multiple cell types.

The researchers have solved the problem with the creation of a highly selective cell-adhesion system that uses single strands of synthetic DNA to fasten the cells to a surface. This enables different types of cells to be selectively targeted and attached to specific locations on a surface, based on the complementary nucleotide sequences of the single-stranded DNA.

The sulfur-based thiolate ion was used to anchor single-stranded DNA onto gold pads, which were incorporated into microfluidic chips through standard photolithography.

References:

Ravi A. Chadra et al., Programmable Cell Adhesion Encoded by DNA Hybridization, Angewandte Chemie International Edition, Volume 45, Issue 6 , Pages 896 – 901, Published Online: 21 Dec 2005

DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory news release