Generation of fluorescent cell-derived-matrix to study 3D cell migration

Cell migration is involved in key phenomena in biology, ranging from development to cancer. Fibroblasts move between organs in 3D polymeric networks. So far, motile cells were mainly tracked in vitro on Petri dishes or on coverslips, i.e., 2D flat surfaces, which made the extrapolation to 3D physiological environments difficult. We therefore prepared 3D Cell Derived Matrices (CDM) with specific characteristics with the goal of extracting the main readouts required to measure and characterize cell motion: cell specific matrix deformation through the tracking of fluorescent fibronectin within CDM, focal contacts as the cell anchor and acto-myosin cytoskeleton which applies cellular forces. We report our method for generating this assay of physiological-like gel with relevant readouts together with its potential impact in explaining cell motility in vivo.