Cells are continuously sensing their microenvironment and subsequently respond to different physicochemical cues by the activation or inhibition of different signaling pathways. To study a very complex cellular response, it is necessary to diminish background environmental influences and highlight the particular event. However, surface-driven nonspecific interactions of the abundant biomolecules from the environment influence the targeted cell response significantly. Yes-associated protein (YAP) translocation may serve as a marker of human hepatocellular carcinoma (Huh7) cell responses to the extracellular matrix and surface-mediated stresses. Here, we propose a platform of tunable functionable antifouling poly(carboxybetain) (pCB)-based brushes to achieve a molecularly clean background for studying arginine, glycine, and aspartic acid (RGD)-induced YAP-connected mechanotransduction. Using two different sets of RGD-functionalized zwitterionic antifouling coatings with varying compositions of the antifouling layer, a clear correlation of YAP distribution with RGD functionalization concentrations was observed. On the other hand, commonly used surface passivation by the oligo(ethylene glycol)-based self-assembled monolayer (SAM) shows no potential to induce dependency of the YAP distribution on RGD concentrations. The results indicate that the antifouling background is a crucial component of surface-based cellular response studies, and pCB-based zwitterionic antifouling brush architectures may serve as a potential next-generation easily functionable surface platform for the monitoring and quantification of cellular processes.

• Keywords
• antifouling polymer brushes, cell mechanotransduction, cell signaling, functional biointerfaces, surface modification, zwitterionic material,
• MeSH
• Acrylamides chemistry   MeSH
• Coated Materials, Biocompatible chemistry   MeSH
• Biofouling prevention & control   MeSH
• Mechanotransduction, Cellular * MeSH
• Extracellular Matrix metabolism   MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Stress, Mechanical MeSH
• Cell Line, Tumor MeSH
• Oligopeptides chemistry   MeSH
• Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-yes metabolism   MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Acrylamides MeSH
• arginyl-glycyl-aspartic acid MeSH Browser
• Coated Materials, Biocompatible MeSH
• Oligopeptides MeSH
• Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-yes MeSH
• YES1 protein, human MeSH Browser
• zwitterion carboxybetaine acrylamide MeSH Browser

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are a heterogeneous group of hematological malignancies with a high risk of transformation to acute myeloid leukemia (AML). MDS are associated with posttranslational modifications of proteins and variations in the protein expression levels. In this work, we present a novel interactomic diagnostic method based on both protein array and surface plasmon resonance biosensor technology, which enables monitoring of protein-protein interactions in a label-free manner. In contrast to conventional methods based on the detection of individual biomarkers, our presented method relies on measuring interactions between arrays of selected proteins and patient plasma. We apply this method to plasma samples obtained from MDS and AML patients, as well as healthy donors, and demonstrate that even a small protein array comprising six selected proteins allows the method to discriminate among different MDS subtypes and healthy donors.

• MeSH
• Principal Component Analysis MeSH
• Adult MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Protein Interaction Mapping * MeSH
• Young Adult MeSH
• Myelodysplastic Syndromes blood   diagnosis   MeSH
• Surface Plasmon Resonance MeSH
• Aged, 80 and over MeSH
• Aged MeSH
• Protein Binding MeSH
• Check Tag
• Adult MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Young Adult MeSH
• Male MeSH
• Aged, 80 and over MeSH
• Aged MeSH
• Female MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH