Research in cell biology frequently depends on tissue culture, yet artificial substrates such as plastic or glass are likely to distort findings by forcing cells to adjust to artificially flat and rigid surfaces. In contrast, the authentic substrate for most cells in living organisms is the extracellular matrix (ECM), which is three-dimensional, complex and dynamic in its molecular composition, and variable in pliability. We have recently developed both tissue- and cell-derived three-dimensional matrix systems for studies of cell-matrix interactions, which take full advantage of traditional in vitro tissue culturing yet, mimic the natural microenvironment that a cell encounters in vivo. By utilizing these 3D culturing systems, we are able to study a novel structure: the 'three-dimensional matrix adhesion' (3D-adhesion) which denotes the main investigation effort of our laboratory (See in figure; cell-derived matrix green, 3D-adhesions in red and orange, and cell nucleus in blue).
The research includes a review of the interactions among cells and their natural ECM, together with the observation of structure, function, dynamics, and signal transduction of in vivo cell-matrix adhesions as well as the implication of the natural 3D microenvironment in the bi-directional exchange of information at cell-matrix contacts e.g. 3D-adhesions.
A better understanding of the interactions between normal cells and their natural microenvironment, and a comparison of these observations with malignant cells and adjacent primed surroundings by utilizing in vivo like three-dimensional matrix systems provides us with an excellent tool for the identification of the aberrations that originate in tumor-stromal interactions during cancer transformation and progression.The research in our laboratory carries out analyses that incorporate among others biochemical assays, laser scanning confocal immunofluorescence, real time microscopy, digital imaging evaluations, and tissue patterning approaches.