Role of Matrix Fiber Alignment, Diameter, and Spacing in Regulating Adult Cardiomyocyte Phenotype

摘要

We found that aligned fibers, which mimic healthy cardiac tissue, maintained a normal phenotype whereas on unaligned fibers adult cardiomyocytes showed a dedifferentiated phenotype with altered sarcomere structure. In future research we hope to more carefully investigate the regulatory role of fiber diameter in producing a differentiation phenotype. We also anticipate that as the fiber diameter increases, adult cardiomyocytes will maintain a functional phenotype by reducing the tensile force experienced by the cell body. Increased fiber diameter combined with small fiber spacing may reduce the overall contractile force needed to maintain the functional phenotype of adult cardiomyocytes. The results of this experiment support the hypothesis that matrix alignment influences cardiomyocyte phenotype. Understanding how different ECM features affect cell phenotype will help elucidate a "structure- function" and lead to improved scaffold development for cardiac tissue engineering. This in vitro model may also be useful for understanding functions of other ECM factors in cardiomyocyte biology.