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Strong contact coupling of neuronal growth cones with height-controlled vertical silicon nanocolumns

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Abstract

In this study, we report that height-controlled vertically etched silicon nano-column arrays (vSNAs) induce strong growth cone-to-substrate coupling and accelerate In vitroneurite development while preserving the essential features of initial neurite formation. Large-scale preparation of vSNAs with flat head morphology enabled the generation of well-controlled topographical stimulation without cellular impalement. A systematic analysis on topography-induced variations on cellular morphology and cytoskeletal dynamics was conducted. In addition, neurite development on the grid-patterned vSNAs exhibited preferential adhesion to the nanostructured region and outgrowth directionality. The arrangement of cytoskeletal proteins and the expression of a focal adhesion complex indicated that a strong coupling existed between the underlying nanocolumns and growth cones. Furthermore, the height-controlled nanocolumn substrates differentially modulated neurite polarization and elongation. Our findings provide an important insight into neuron-nanotopography interactions and their role in cell adhesion and neurite development.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Basic Science Research Program and the Pioneer Research Center Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Science, ICT & Future Planning (Nos. NRF-2013R1A1A107-6103, NRF-2012R1A3A2026403, and NRF-2012-000-9664), and also by the GIST Research Institute (GRI) in 2016.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju, 61005, Republic of Korea

    Seong-Min Kim, Seyeong Lee, Dongyoon Kim, Dong-Hee Kang & Myung-Han Yoon

  2. Department of Biotechnology, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea

    Kisuk Yang & Seung-Woo Cho

  3. Department of Chemistry, Sookmyung Women’s University, Seoul, 04310, Republic of Korea

    Jin Seok Lee

  4. Center for Cell-Encapsulation Research, Department of Chemistry, KAIST, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea

    Insung S. Choi

  5. Department of Applied Chemistry, Kyung Hee University, Yongin, Gyeonggi, o17104, Republic of Korea

    Kyungtae Kang

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  1. Seong-Min Kim
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Correspondence to Insung S. Choi, Kyungtae Kang or Myung-Han Yoon.

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Kim, SM., Lee, S., Kim, D. et al. Strong contact coupling of neuronal growth cones with height-controlled vertical silicon nanocolumns. Nano Res. 11, 2532–2543 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-017-1878-7

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