CELL ADHESION CONTROL INITIATE CELL SHEET FORMATION IN A MEDIUM SUSPENSION

We have developed a novel technique for cell sheet formation and continuous cell culture without the need for frequent subculture that make use of open-mesh scaffold suspended in a culture medium. Epithelial cells seeded on the scaffold underwent elongation and proliferation normally, expanding dynamically to form a monolayer cell sheet over the meshed scaffold. Cytoskeletal labeling revealed extensively interconnected meshwork of the actin cytoskeleton, suggesting that the mechanical strength of the cell sheets was due to cell-cell adhesion. Thus the method provides a simple approach to cell sheet generation without the use of expensive smart polymers.