Elucidating the unexpected cell adhesive properties of agarose substrates. The effect of mechanics, fetal bovine serum and specific peptide sequences

2D agarose substrates have recently been surprisingly shown to be permissive for cell adhesion, depending on their mechanics and the use of the adhesive proteins of fetal bovine serum (FBS) in the cell culture medium. Here, we elucidate how the cells exhibit two anchoring mechanisms depending on the amount of FBS. Under low FBS conditions, the cells recognize the surface-coupled adhesive sequences of fibronectin via the binding of the heterodimer α₅β₁ integrin. Functionality of the actomyosin axis and mechanoactivation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) are essential for the stretching of the protein, thereby accessing the “synergy” PPSRN site and enhancing cell adhesion in combination with the downstream RGD motif. Under high FBS conditions, the specific peptide sequences are much less relevant as the adsorbed serum proteins conceal the coupled fibronectin and the cells recognize the adhesive protein vitronectin, which is constitutively present in FBS, via the binding of the heterodimer α_vβ₃ integrin. Similarly, the intracellular tension and FAK activity are decisive, which collectively indicate that the cells stretch the partially cryptic RGD site of vitronectin and thus make it more accessible for integrin binding. Both anchoring mechanisms only work properly if the agarose substrate is mechanically compliant in terms of linear stress-strain response, unraveling a critical balance between the mechanics of the agarose substrate and the presentation of the adhesive peptides.

Statement of significance

In the context of biomaterial design, agarose hydrogels are known to lack intrinsic cell-adhesive peptide motifs and are therefore commonly used for the development of non-permissive 2D substrates. However, we unexpectedly found that agarose hydrogels can become permissive substrates for cell adhesion, depending on a compliant mechanical response of the substrate and the use of fetal bovine serum (FBS) as protein reservoir in the cell culture medium. We describe here two anchoring mechanisms that cells harness to adhere to agarose substrates, depending on the amount of FBS. Our results will have a major impact on the field of mechanobiology and shed light on the central role of FBS as a natural source of adhesive proteins that could promote cell anchoring.