Cell spreading and proliferation in response to the composition and mechanics of engineered fibrillar extracellular matrices

The extracellular matrix (ECM) consists of a complex mixture of biochemical and physical stimuli that together regulate cell behavior. In this study, we engineer a model ECM consisting of fibrillar Type-1 collagen plus fibronectin that allows systematic examination of the effects of matrix composition and mechanics on cells. On this combined protein matrix, cells exhibit intermediate degrees of spreading and proliferation compared to their responses on collagen or fibronectin alone. Adhesion to the combination matrix could be blocked by peptides containing the sequence arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) and by antibodies against α1 integrin, suggesting cell-matrix engagement was mediated by a combination of integrin receptors that recognize fibronectin and collagen. Regardless of integrin engagement, cells were sensitive to the mechanical properties of the combination ECM, suggesting that cells could process biochemical and mechanical cues simultaneously and independently. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.