Stiff Extracellular Matrix Promotes Invasive Behaviors of Trophoblast Cells

Abstract

The effect of extracellular matrix (ECM) stiffness on embryonic trophoblast cells invasion during mammalian embryo implantation remains largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the effects of ECM stiffness on various aspects of human trophoblast cell behaviors during cell–ECM interactions. The mechanical microenvironment of the uterus was simulated by fabricating polyacrylamide (PA) hydrogels with different levels of stiffness. The human choriocarcinoma (JAR) cell lineage was used as the trophoblast model. We found that the spreading area of JAR cells, the formation of focal adhesions, and the polymerization of the F-actin cytoskeleton were all facilitated with increased ECM stiffness. Significantly, JAR cells also exhibited durotactic behavior on ECM with a gradient stiffness. Meanwhile, stiffness of the ECM affects the invasion of multicellular JAR spheroids. These results demonstrated that human trophoblast cells are mechanically sensitive, while the mechanical properties of the uterine microenvironment could play an important role in the implantation process.

An Assessment of the Mechanophysical and Hormonal Impact on Human Endometrial Epithelium Mechanics and Receptivity

“…Stiff substrates supported trophoblast adhesion most efficiently. This observation agrees with another recent study [41] that examined human choriocarcinoma JAR cells growing on polyacrylamide-based stiffness gradients. The cells were more spread out, formed more focal adhesions and actin stress fibers, and migrated faster on stiffer substrates, a behavior that is referred to as durotaxis.…”

Crossover behavior in stress relaxations of poroelastic and viscoelastic dominant hydrogels

“…19–25 Understanding the mechanical properties of living matter is important as they play crucial roles in various cellular functions, including cell contraction, spreading, invasion, division, and wound healing. 26–30 However, compared with hydrogels, living matters are filled with irregular macromolecular substances, organelles and active motors, so that revealing their emergent mechanical properties is challenging. Hydrogels, on the other hand, are relatively simple polymeric systems and can serve as a model to investigate the relaxation and crossover behavior of living matter.…”

Advances in Biomechanics-Based Motion Analysis

“…Moreover, the in-depth biomechanical/neuromuscular mechanisms of motion patterns are poorly understood. Therefore, in this Special Issue, we have assembled 23 research articles and review papers on the state-of-the-art advances in motion analysis from fundamental in vitro cell [ 1 ] and cadaveric studies [ 2 ] to in vivo experiments on human subjects. These studies have either applied validated biomechanical models and neuromuscular analyses to answer unresolved clinical/sports-related questions or focused on the development of novel motion analysis methods.…”