Laminins are multidomain proteins, which are a major constituent of the basement membrane. Basement membrane is a thin layer of specialized extracellular matrix (ECM) surrounding epithelia, endothelia, muscle cells, fat cells, Schwann cells, peripheral nerves, and the entire central nervous system. In addition to laminin, the components of basement membrane include collagen IV, nidogens, sulfated proteoglycans, etc.
Structurally, laminins are intertwined and heterotrimeric glycoproteins, which can be divided into cross shaped, Y shaped, or rod shaped. Each laminin is made up of an α, β, and γ chain. A wide range of proteins, including cell surface receptors, interact with laminins. The cell surface receptors that interact with laminins can be separated into integrins and non-integrins. Cells bind to laminins via cell-surface receptors, which regulate vital cellular responses, like cell-anchorage, survival, proliferation, and differentiation.
Current Name
Previous Name
Chains
Major Sites of Expression
Laminin-211
Laminin-2
α2β1γ1
All myogenic tissues, peripheral nerves, mesangial matrix of glomerulus
Laminin-511 can function as a scaffold for human embryonic stem (ES) cells and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. But Laminin-511 is a supramolecular aggregate with a molecular weight of 800 kDa, which is difficult to produce as a recombinant protein. Therefore, we fragmented Laminin-511 to find the smallest component that binds to the integrin on the cell surface. This component with a molecular weight of 150 KDa, called Laminin-511 E8 fragment, is expressed in Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO)-S cells as a recombinant protein.
Laminin-511 E8 fragments support stronger adhesion of human ES/iPS cells than do other substrates, including Matrigel and intact Laminin-511. Laminin-511 E8 fragments enabled rapid and steady expansion of ES/iPS cells.
Human iPS cells adhered more strongly to Laminin-511 E8 fragment than to the intact Laminin-511
The cell attachment of Laminin-511 E8 fragments and other substrates were compared, and this result confirmed that Laminin-511 E8 fragments adhere to cells most strongly. (The absorbance (OD570) represents the relative number of attached cells normalized against the values at the maximum effect on Matrigel, which was arbitrarily set as 1.)
Single human ES cells attached rapidly to Laminin-511E8 fragment and proliferated
Human ES cells were passaged in mTeSR1 medium containing Laminin-511 E8 fragments and Matrigel, respectively. During the growth phase, phase-contrast images showed that human ES cells adhering to Laminin-511 E8 fragments promptly recovered cell–cell contacts and formed highly dense colonies.
Volume production of ES/iPS cells using Laminin-511 E8 fragment
The number of ES/iPS cells cultured by the conventional method (colony method) was compared with that cultured with the laminin-511 E8 fragment as cell culture substrate. The results showed that the number of cells cultured with Laminin-511 E8 fragments was more than 200 times that of cells cultured conventionally.
Laminin-221 E8 Fragments
Laminin-211 (α2β1γ1) is the most abundant laminin isoform in the basement membrane of adult skeletal muscle. iMatrix-221 is a recombinant human laminin-221 E8 fragment protein expressed in Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO)-S cells, and contains the integrin-binding site of the laminin-221 molecule.
iMatrix-221 is a cell culture substrate for proliferation and differentiation of cardiomyocytes and skeletal muscle cells, as well as other cells that adhere to laminin-221.
Differentiated cardiomyocytes pulsating on iMatrix-221
Laminin-411 E8 Fragments
Laminin-411 (α4β1γ1) is predominantly expressed in the vascular endothelial basement membrane and plays a crucial role in microvascular formation. iMatrix-411 is a recombinant human laminin-411 E8 fragment protein expressed in Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO)-S cells and contains the integrin-binding site of the laminin-411 molecule.
iMatrix-411 is a cell culture substrate used for proliferation and differentiation of vascular endothelial cells and bile duct epithelial cells, as well as other cells that adhere to laminin-411.
Induce endothelial cells from pluripotent stem cells
The endothelial cells induced from pluripotent stem cells on iMatrix-411 coated plate possessed the capacities for acetyl-LDL uptake and endothelial tube formation.
VITVO is a ready to use, flat and handheld bioreactor, integrating scaffold for the establishment of in vitro 3D cell culture model that can be used for research applications and pre-clinical investigations. This in vitro 3D cell culture technology offers also a solution for precision medicine approaches.
ioSkeletal Myocytes are highly-defined, consistent and reliable human muscle cells for research, disease modelling and high throughput screening across areas such as muscle, neuromuscular, and associated metabolic disorders.
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