Genetically Engineered Elastin-Like Polymer as a Substratum to Culture Cells from the Ocular Surface

Purpose: To investigate epithelial cell adhesion and proliferation on a newly developed elastin-like polymer (ELP) that mimics the functional characteristics of extracellular matrices. Materials and Methods: A genetically engineered ELP with cell attachment sequences was adsorbed onto glass coverslips as 1, 2, or 3 molecular films. Conjunctival epithelial cells from a human cell line and human skin fibroblast cells (as controls) were plated onto coverslips with three different substrata: plain glass, Thermanox®, and ELP-coated. Cells (104) were plated after EDTA- or trypsin-based detachment. To test adhesion, epithelial and fibroblast cells were incubated for 4 hr, stained with hematoxylin, and counted. To study proliferation, Ki-67-positive epithelial cells were counted after 1, 3, and 5 days in culture. Immunostaining for conjunctival and adhesion markers was performed. Results: Epithelial cell, but not fibroblast, adhesion on ELP was significantly enhanced compared to that of control substrata. Epithel...