mRNA expression on shape-engineered endothelial cells: Adhesion molecules ICAM-1 and VCAM-1

This study was designed to assess the effect of cell shape on mRNA expressi on of two adhesion molecules, intracellular adhesion molecule-1 and vascula r adhesion molecule-1,,on endothelial cells. Photo-microprocessing using ph otoreactive poly(ethylene glycol) produced two different patterned-cell adh esive regions on tissue culture dishes: one is a striped region on which ad hered cells are highly elongated and aligned along the long axis of the str iped pattern, and the other is a circular region on which cells are less sp read out and rounded, mRNA expressions, measured by the reverse transcripti on-polymerase chain reaction technique, revealed higher mRNA expression for intracellular adhesion molecule-1 and lower mRNA expression for vascular a dhesion molecule-1 on elongated cells than those on round cells. This indic ates that surface-induced cell share induces changes in the mRNA expression of these molecules. The significance of cell-shape-induced mRNA expression is discussed in conjunction with the experimental results of flow-induced expression at molecular and mRNA levels. (C) 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res 54:366-372, 2001.