cells Article Culturing Keratinocytes on Biomimetic Substrates Facilitates Improved Epidermal Assembly In Vitro Eve Hunter-Featherstone 1, Natalie Young 1, Kathryn Chamberlain 1, Pablo Cubillas 2, Ben Hulette 3, Xingtao Wei 3, Jay P. Tiesman 3, Charles C. Bascom 3, Adam M. Benham 1 , Martin W. Goldberg 1 , Gabriele Saretzki 4 and Iakowos Karakesisoglou 1,* 1 Department of Biosciences, Durham University, Durham DH1 3LE, UK;
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[email protected] Abstract: Mechanotransduction is defined as the ability of cells to sense mechanical stimuli from their surroundings and translate them into biochemical signals. Epidermal keratinocytes respond to mechanical cues by altering their proliferation, migration, and differentiation. In vitro cell culture, Citation: Hunter-Featherstone, E.; however, utilises tissue culture plastic, which is significantly stiffer than the in vivo environment. Cur- Young, N.; Chamberlain, K.; Cubillas, rent epidermal models fail to consider the effects of culturing keratinocytes on plastic prior to setting P.; Hulette, B.; Wei, X.; Tiesman, J.P.; up three-dimensional cultures, so the impact of this non-physiological exposure on epidermal assem- Bascom, C.C.; Benham, A.M.; bly is largely overlooked.