The genes necessary for the growth and survival of stem cells are influenced by the biomaterials on which they're cultured, researchers at the University of Toronto have found.
The study by researchers at the Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research found that different substrates, used to coat the surface of the lab dish for the cells to adhere to, can change the cells' molecular states - and potentially their behavior - and should be considered in future research.
"Cells are often maintained on different substrates under assumption that the nature of the substrate does not make that much of a difference," says Jelena Tomic, one of the lead authors on the paper and a research associate in the lab of Jason Moffat, a professor of molecular genetics at the Donnelly Centre.
While there had been reports that these biomaterials can influence certain molecular changes in cells, the extent of those changes had not been studied in detail - until now.
Writing in the journal Cell Reports, the U of T researchers used the gene editing CRISPR technology to study which genes are essential for embryonic stem cell proliferation. They found that two commonly used substrates have a much more profound effect on the cells' molecular properties than previously appreciated.
The effect is thought to be caused by substrate molecules interacting with receptors on the cell surface.
