The authors thank W. Sun and K. Jansen for the critical discussions, and acknowledge support by the Nano Biomechanics Lab at the National University of Singapore. N.A.K. acknowledges support by a Marie Curie IIF Fellowship.

1. Cell Harvesting
<ol>
	<li>Obtain MD-MBA-231 cells from the 37 &#176;C, 5% CO2 incubator. Detach cells from tissue culture plate using 0.5% Trypsin-EDTA solution. Use 1 ml of Trypsin-EDTA solution for cell cultured in a T25 flask.</li>
	<li>Pellet cells in a 15 ml conical tube by centrifugation at 200 &#215; g for 4 min, aspirate the supernatant, and resuspend cells in 5 ml of culture media.</li>
	<li>Count cell density, &#961;, using a hemocytometer. 
	Note: To prepare the cell-seeded inner ...

<ol>
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Cell Biol. 201 (7), 1069-1084 (2013).</li><li>Friedl, P., Gilmour, D. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Collective+cell+migration+in+morphogenesis,+regeneration+and+cancer.">Collective cell migration in morphogenesis, regeneration and cancer.</a> Nat. Rev. Mol. Cell Biol. 10 (7), 445-457 (2009).</li><li>Vedula, S. R. K., Ravasio, A., Lim, C. T., Ladoux, B. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Collective+cell+migration:+a+mechanistic+perspective.">Collective cell migration: a mechanistic perspective.</a> Physiology. 28 (6), 370-379 (2013).</li><li>Petrie, R. J., Doyle, A. D., Yamada, K. M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Random+versus+directionally+persistent+cell+migration.">Random versus directionally persistent cell migration.</a> Nat. Rev. Mol. Cell Biol. 10 (8), 538-549 (2009).</li><li>Miron-Mendoza, M., Seemann, J., Grinnell, F. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+differential+regulation+of+cell+motile+activity+through+matrix+stiffness+and+porosity+in+three+dimensional+collagen+matrices.">The differential regulation of cell motile activity through matrix stiffness and porosity in three dimensional collagen matrices.</a> Biomaterials. 31 (25), 6425-6435 (2010).</li><li>Mouw, J. 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P., Rajagopalan, R. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Spatially+resolved+microrheology+of+heterogeneous+biopolymer+hydrogels+using+covalently+bound+microspheres.">Spatially resolved microrheology of heterogeneous biopolymer hydrogels using covalently bound microspheres.</a> Biomech. Model. Mechanobiol. 13 (4), 839-849 (2014).</li><li>Gupton, S. L., Waterman-Storer, C. M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Spatiotemporal+feedback+between+actomyosin+and+focal-adhesion+systems+optimizes+rapid+cell+migration.">Spatiotemporal feedback between actomyosin and focal-adhesion systems optimizes rapid cell migration.</a> Cell. 125 (7), 1361-1374 (2006).</li><li>Provenzano, P. P., Inman, D. R., Eliceiri, K. W., Trier, S. M., Keely, P. J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Contact+guidance+mediated+three-dimensional+cell+migration+is+regulated+by+Rho/ROCK-dependent+matrix+reorganization.">Contact guidance mediated three-dimensional cell migration is regulated by Rho/ROCK-dependent matrix reorganization.</a> Biophys. J. 95 (11), 5374-5384 (2008).</li><li>Wolf, K., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Multi-step+pericellular+proteolysis+controls+the+transition+from+individual+to+collective+cancer+cell+invasion.">Multi-step pericellular proteolysis controls the transition from individual to collective cancer cell invasion.</a> Nat. Cell Biol. 9 (8), 893-904 (2007).</li><li>Jansen, K. A., Bacabac, R. G., Piechocka, I. K., Koenderink, G. 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The authors have nothing to disclose.

In this protocol we describe an in vitro assay to study the 3D migrational behavior of cells in matrix environments that topologically resemble ECMs encountered in vivo. There are three main strengths of this assay as compared to other currently available methods. First, this assay allows one to simultaneously examine the cell migration mechanisms at both population level and individual cell level. This opens up possibilities of studying collective cell migration13, which has to date been lar...

Migration of cells plays a key role in various physiological responses such as embryonic development, haemostasis, and immune response as well as in pathological processes such as vascular diseases, inflammation, and cancer1. Dissecting the biochemical and biophysical factors underlying cell migration is therefore fundamentally important not only to understand the basic principles of cellular functions, but also to advance various biomedical applications, such as in tissue engineering, anti-metastasis and anti-inflammatory drug development. Since in vivo observation is technically challenging, a lot of efforts has been focused on in vitro recapitulation of cell migration.
In vitro methods to study cell migration have largely been designed for assays on two dimensional (2D) surfaces, most notably the scratch or wound healing assay2. Such assays offer simple experimental setup, easy live-cell imaging, and provide useful insights into various biochemical mechanisms underlying cell migration. However, these assays do not account for extracellular matrix (ECM) architecture and remodeling, which are critical aspects in understanding in vivo migration. Recently, it has been increasingly appreciated that a 3D culture model, often in collagen-based matrices3, provides a platform that better resembles the in vivo situation. Indeed, cells exhibit migrational dynamics that are distinct from those on 2D surfaces, especially due to the different dimensionality of the environment4. Moreover, the biophysical and mechanical properties of the matrix sensitively affect cell migration5, including in the context of tumor cell invasion6.
Here, we present a method to study 3D cell migration behavior in ECM with biophysical properties that can be easily varied with preparation conditions. The cells are seeded in an &#8220;inner gel&#8221; and are allowed to escape into and invade the initially acellular &#8220;outer gel&#8221;. The method relies on the cell&#8217;s ability to recognize the presence of, and propensity to migrate into, cell-free regions in the outer gel, which is closely linked to cell mechanosensing7. In this study, we employ collagen networks as the ECMs invaded by highly invasive breast cancer cells, MD-MBA-231. The mechanical properties and microstructure of both the inner and outer gels can be tuned8 and characterized9 to achieve physiologically relevant conditions. Reconstruction and analysis of the cell tracks allow detailed quantitative examination of the spatiotemporal migration behavior at both population level and individual cell level. Importantly, the setup of the concentric gel system mimics the in vivo tissue topology faced by migrating cells, especially invading cancer cells, thus offering important insights into the physical mechanisms of cell migration and metastasis.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>Cell culture incubator</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific Pte Ltd</td>
			<td>Model: 371, S/No 318854-6055</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Confocal microscope</td>
			<td>Nikon A1R</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>Inverted confocal laser scanning microscope equipped with incubator chamber</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Dulbecco&#39;s Modified Eagle&#39;s Medium (DMEM)</td>
			<td>Life Technologies</td>
			<td>11965-092</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS)</td>
			<td>Life Technologies</td>
			<td>10082-147</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Fluorescent CellTracker dye CMTMR</td>
			<td>Life Technologies</td>
			<td>C2927</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Glass-bottom dish</td>
			<td>IWAKI Cell Biology</td>
			<td>3931-035</td>
			<td>35 mm diameter dish with 12 mm diameter glass-bottom well</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Hemocytometer</td>
			<td>iN CYTO</td>
			<td>DHC-N01 (Neubauer Improved)</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Microprocessor pH meter</td>
			<td>Hanna Instruments</td>
			<td>pH 211</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Nutragen Collagen</td>
			<td>Advanced BioMatrix</td>
			<td>#5010-D</td>
			<td>Acid-solubilized bovine collagen type I (stock pH ~ 2)</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Objective lens</td>
			<td>Nikon</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>CFI Super Plan Fluor ELWD ADM 20XC, W.D. 8.2-6.9mm, NA 0.45.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Penicillin-Streptomycin</td>
			<td>Life Technologies</td>
			<td>15140-122</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>pH meter</td>
			<td>Sartorius</td>
			<td>S/No 29153352</td>
			<td>Basic pH Meter PB-11</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Trypsin-EDTA</td>
			<td>Life Technologies</td>
			<td>15400-054</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

concentric gel system to study the biophysical role of matrix microenvironment on 3d cell migration

The ability of cells to migrate is crucial in a wide variety of cell functions throughout life&#160;from embryonic development and wound healing&#160;to tumor and cancer metastasis. Despite intense research efforts, the basic biochemical and biophysical principles of cell migration are still not fully understood, especially in the physiologically relevant three-dimensional (3D) microenvironments. Here, we describe an in vitro assay designed to allow quantitative examination of 3D cell migration behaviors. The method exploits the cell&#8217;s mechanosensing ability and propensity to migrate into previously unoccupied extracellular matrix (ECM). We use the invasion of highly invasive breast cancer cells, MDA-MB-231, in collagen gels as a model system. The spread of cell population and the migration dynamics of individual cells over weeks of culture can be monitored using live-cell imaging and analyzed to extract spatiotemporally-resolved data. Furthermore, the method is easily adaptable for diverse extracellular matrices, thus offering a simple yet powerful way to investigate the role of biophysical factors in the microenvironment on cell migration.

The concentric gel assay presented here was performed using highly invasive breast cancer cells, MDA-MB-231, with 2.4 mg/ml inner collagen gel and a cell seeding density of = 2 &#215; 106 cells/ml, as an example. As shown in Figure 2, typically after a few days of culture, the cells breached the inner&#8211;outer gel interface and started to invade the outer gel. The cell population spread predominantly radially outwards.
The polymerization conditions of the outer g...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Concentric Gel System to Study the Biophysical Role of Matrix Microenvironment on 3D Cell Migration at JoVE.com

Concentric Gel System to Study the Biophysical Role of Matrix Microenvironment on 3D Cell Migration

The mechanical properties and microstructure of the extracellular matrix strongly affect 3D migration of cells. An in vitro method to study the spatiotemporal cell migration behavior in biophysically variable environments, at both population and individual cell levels, is described.

The ability of cells to migrate is crucial in a wide variety of cell functions throughout life&#160;from embryonic development and wound healing&#160;to ...

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Research

JoVE Journal

Bioengineering

8.4K vistas.  FOM Institute AMOLF.  Las propiedades mecánicas y la microestructura de la matriz extracelular afectan fuertemente a la migración de las células 3D. Un método in vitro para estudiar el comportamiento de la migración celular espaciotemporal en entornos biofísico variables, tanto a la población y los niveles de células individuales, se describe. 