Control of Cell-Cell Interactions

Active in the development of cell surface conjugates, Creative Biolabs is considered a leading global provider to offer cell surface engineering for the control of cell-cell interaction.

Cell Surface Conjugates for Control of Cell-Cell Interaction

Dynamic cell-cell interactions are imperative for correct cell behavior and cell functions. Previous studies have demonstrated that cell membrane and various cell surface ligands may be associated with other cells or with extracellular materials, regulating extracellular communication. Thus, it is worth considering the biomolecular composition of the membrane and how these molecules are arranged. More recently, many research groups have been focused their work on the engineering of the cell surface with different strategies such as biological, chemical, or physical methods for the control of ligand presentation on cell surfaces to modulate cell functions and control cell-cell and cell-microenvironment interactions. Such modulation of cell-cell interactions would benefit fundamental cell-behavioral studies, allow unprecedented control of cell behavior, and provide a synthetic biological method for the design of cell-based therapy.

• Case 1

In a study, researchers prepare amphiphilic PEG-lipid polymers that are attached to polyDNA with specific sequences. Incubation of cells with the polyDNA-PEG-lipid conjugate transfers some of the polyDNA to the cell surfaces. Similarly, polyDNA-PEG-lipid conjugate using polyDNA with a complementary sequence can be introduced to the surfaces of other cells or a substrate surface. Cell-cell or cell-substrate attachments are subsequently mediated via hybridization between the two complementary polyDNAs. This method shows promise for use in analyzing homogeneous and heterogeneous cell-cell interactions.

Fig.1 Control of cell attachment. (Teramura, 2010)

• Case 2

In a report, using a combination of metabolic glycan labeling approach and bio-orthogonal click reaction, researchers engineer cell membranes with β-cyclodextrin and subsequently manipulate cell behaviors via photo-responsive host-guest recognition. Considering that aptamers are promising recognition elements with high binding affinity to a broad range of targets, including cells, azobenzene-labeled aptamers (azo-aptamer) anchored on the cell surface could act as targeting ligands and induce cell-cell adhesion. This approach would allow unprecedented control of cell behavior and benefit studies of contact-dependent cell-cell communications.

Fig.2 Control of cell-cell reversible interactions. (Shi, 2016)

• Case 3

Some researchers have reported a general cell surface molecular engineering strategy via liposome fusion delivery to create a dual photo-active and bio-orthogonal cell surface. This methodology allows for real-time manipulation of tissue dynamics and remote-controlled manipulation of microtissue assembly and disassembly. It may provide tools with the scope to answer fundamental questions of cell communication and initiate new biotechnologies ranging from imaging probes to drug delivery vehicles to regenerative medicine, inexpensive bioreactor technology, and tissue engineering therapies.

Fig.3 Remote control of tissue interactions. (Luo, 2014)

At Creative Biolabs, we offer one-stop solutions for cell surface conjugate development and characterization to meet your specific project demands to control cell-cell interaction. If you want to know more detailed information, please feel free to contact our experts.

References

1. Teramura, Y.; et al. Control of cell attachment through polyDNA hybridization. Biomaterials. 2010, 31(8), pp.2229-2235.
2. Luo, W.; et al. Remote control of tissue interactions via engineered photo-switchable cell surfaces. Scientific reports. 2014, 4(1), pp.1-8.
3. Shi, P.; et al. Spatiotemporal control of cell-cell reversible interactions using molecular engineering. Nature communications. 2016, 7(1), pp.1-9.