The Grammer of Biological Cells Disclosed

Cells in the body, like our human beings, exchange a lot of signals with their surroundings. Inadquate signal pathways might affect the function of cells and then diseases would come. However, we still know little about the grammatical rule of the cellular language. How the "words" could be combined in "sentences"? If cell grammer is revielled, it would be better to understand the complex processes in the cells. Recently, researchers in KIT have now introduced a technique to decode the grammer of cell signals in the journal Angewandte Chemie (Applied Chemistry).

"Receptors on cell membranes react to numerous signal molecules. They represent the vocabulary of communication." Christ Niemeyer of the Institure for biological Interfacges of KIT clarifies. Generally speaking, a few, spatially distributed receptors are addressed in parallel, just as in human dialect, where a few words are joined in a sentence. The exact meaning of the individual words is determined by the contect of all components of the sentence only." With the assistance of our new NOSAIC method, we can now particularly decode not only vocabulary, but also the whole sentences of the cell language."

To address an individual cell with a characterized sentence, Niemeyer and his group initially settled the desired signal molecules on a type of pegboard of about 100 nm in length with an accuracy of 5 nm. Then, may theres pegbords were connected to the cell transporter. Along these lines, numerous molecules can be arranged on a larger area with nanometer accuracy. "We succeded in consolidating in the MOSAIC method both self-organization of molecules and a microscopic printing technology." Niemeyer says.

The pegboards are made out of long DNA molecules as indicated by an exact outline. In a self-organized manner, the DNA molecules then folds to form a board of 100 nm in length and 50 nm in width, which can take up the desired signal molecules at defined places. The foundation of the pegboards are printed on the cell carrier from DNA fragments. These particular establishments are a few micrometers in diameter and can be printed om an area of up to 1 cm2. By selecting suitable DNA sequences, the pegboards adhere to the right doundation with the right orientation. To prove functioning of the MOSAIC (Multiscale Origami Structures as Interfaces for Cells) method, the researchers showed by the primary study that the model cell line MCF7 responds distinctively to pegboards with variable arrangement desities.

Randi Warren from Creative Biostructure.