Can somebody help me to understand whether a good substrate for adherent cells culture should be hydrophilic or hydrophobic? In some papers, it stated that the surface should be hydrophilic or polar with –COOH or -NH2 functionality, while some other papers mention a hydrophobic surface encourage the cells to adhere on the surface (like hydrophobic plastics). Which one is true?
I think you need proper substrate for the proper integrin subunits. I just try to explain reason for this contradictory results about attachment from literature that you mentioned.
Different attachment properties may emerge from different integrin subunits together with the other adhesion molecules as depending on the adherent cell types. Because integrins are vital for the surface attachment of the cells. If subunit changings depend on the cell type thus substrate that they can attach themselves may be changed.
If we can't determine the "true substrate for the all adherent cell types" this situation should be answer why we can't. You can consider your integrin type on your cell that you are studying in order to because Hydrophilic or hydrophobic prefering of cell types may depend on this fact.
Dear Mehmet & Stefano,
Thank you for your answers. Do you know any paper or book that has listed the type of integrin subunits for different cells (whether they like hydrophilic or hydrophobic surfaces)?
Many thanks,
First here is is integrin subunit interaction map that helps you which subunit interact with another to form integrin. Because you should describe your target integrin subunits if you interested. (I am not sure you already have that kind of interactome information but you can check from this picture)
And secondly as I understand you already search the literature as relate with this topic but unfortunately I don't have exact classification of integrins according to their hydrophilic or hyrophobic properties but these referances may help you to understand hydrophobic tendency of integrins, I hope...
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10397937
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