Abstract
Cell shape is an important cellular parameter that influences the spatial organization and function of cells. However, it has often been challenging to study the effects of cell shape because of difficulties in experimentally controlling cell shape in a defined way. We describe here a method of physically manipulating sea urchin cells into specified shapes by inserting them into micro-fabricated chambers of different shapes. This method allows for generation of large systematic and quantitative data sets and may be adaptable for different cell types and contexts.
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Acknowledgments
We thank the members of the Burgess and Chang laboratories for discussion, the Columbia U. Center for Integrated Science and Engineering clean room for instruction and use of their micro-fabrication facility, and the Marine Biological Laboratory Whitman Summer Investigators program. This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health Grants GM 069670 to F.C. and G.M, 093978 to D.B., an M.B.L. Erik B. Fries and the Colwin Endowed Summer Research Fellowship to F.C., and M.B.L. E.B. Wilson Summer Research Fellowship to D.B.
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Chang, F., Atilgan, E., Burgess, D., Minc, N. (2014). Manipulating Cell Shape by Placing Cells into Micro-fabricated Chambers. In: Sharp, D. (eds) Mitosis. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 1136. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-0329-0_13
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-0329-0_13
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Publisher Name: Humana Press, New York, NY
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Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-0329-0
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