Correlation Studies of Cells' Velocimetry on Micropatterned Substrates

We analyzed the cells kinematics on micropatterned substrates using cells velocimetry and fluorescence microscopy for human foreskin fibroblast (HFF) cells. Analysis of the displacement as a function of the square root of time leads to the identification of several qualitatively different modes of transport. We observe a broad range of kinematic options exploited by the cells, including some large range rotational motion, depending on the detailed nature of the microfabricated silicon substrate. It is of particular interest to note that the cells motion on highly structured, periodic substrates provides qualitatively different kinematics data than the motion on randomly patterned substrates. Naturally, both of these patterned substrates lead to different motion than the motion on pristine, low surface roughness substrates. In order to better quantify various motility modes, we analyze position-position, position-velocity, and velocity-velocity correlations. These appear to support our experimental observation that two main phenomena are in play – interaction of cells with the substrate and cell-cell interaction.