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A sharp-edge-based acoustofluidic chemical signal generator.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Huang, P-H; Chan, CY; Li, P; Wang, Y; Nama, N; Bachman, H; Huang, TJ
Published in: Lab on a chip
May 2018

Resolving the temporal dynamics of cell signaling pathways is essential for regulating numerous downstream functions, from gene expression to cellular responses. Mapping these signaling pathways requires the exposure of cells to time-varying chemical signals; these are difficult to generate and control over a wide temporal range. Herein, we present an acoustofluidic chemical signal generator based on a sharp-edge-based micromixing strategy. The device, simply by modulating the driving signals of an acoustic transducer including the ON/OFF switching frequency, actuation time and duty cycle, is capable of generating both single-pulse and periodic chemical signals that are temporally controllable in terms of stimulation period, stimulation duration and duty cycle. We also demonstrate the device's applicability and versatility for cell signaling studies by probing the calcium (Ca2+) release dynamics of three different types of cells stimulated by ionomycin signals of different shapes. Upon short single-pulse ionomycin stimulation (∼100 ms) generated by our device, we discover that cells tend to dynamically adjust the intracellular level of Ca2+ through constantly releasing and accepting Ca2+ to the cytoplasm and from the extracellular environment, respectively. With advantages such as simple fabrication and operation, compact device design, and reliability and versatility, our device will enable decoding of the temporal characteristics of signaling dynamics for various physiological processes.

Duke Scholars

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Published In

Lab on a chip

DOI

EISSN

1473-0189

ISSN

1473-0197

Publication Date

May 2018

Volume

18

Issue

10

Start / End Page

1411 / 1421

Related Subject Headings

  • Signal Transduction
  • Models, Biological
  • Microfluidic Analytical Techniques
  • Ionomycin
  • Humans
  • Hela Cells
  • HeLa Cells
  • Cell Line
  • Calcium Signaling
  • Calcium
 

Citation

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ICMJE
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Huang, P.-H., Chan, C. Y., Li, P., Wang, Y., Nama, N., Bachman, H., & Huang, T. J. (2018). A sharp-edge-based acoustofluidic chemical signal generator. Lab on a Chip, 18(10), 1411–1421. https://doi.org/10.1039/c8lc00193f
Huang, Po-Hsun, Chung Yu Chan, Peng Li, Yuqi Wang, Nitesh Nama, Hunter Bachman, and Tony Jun Huang. “A sharp-edge-based acoustofluidic chemical signal generator.Lab on a Chip 18, no. 10 (May 2018): 1411–21. https://doi.org/10.1039/c8lc00193f.
Huang P-H, Chan CY, Li P, Wang Y, Nama N, Bachman H, et al. A sharp-edge-based acoustofluidic chemical signal generator. Lab on a chip. 2018 May;18(10):1411–21.
Huang, Po-Hsun, et al. “A sharp-edge-based acoustofluidic chemical signal generator.Lab on a Chip, vol. 18, no. 10, May 2018, pp. 1411–21. Epmc, doi:10.1039/c8lc00193f.
Huang P-H, Chan CY, Li P, Wang Y, Nama N, Bachman H, Huang TJ. A sharp-edge-based acoustofluidic chemical signal generator. Lab on a chip. 2018 May;18(10):1411–1421.
Journal cover image

Published In

Lab on a chip

DOI

EISSN

1473-0189

ISSN

1473-0197

Publication Date

May 2018

Volume

18

Issue

10

Start / End Page

1411 / 1421

Related Subject Headings

  • Signal Transduction
  • Models, Biological
  • Microfluidic Analytical Techniques
  • Ionomycin
  • Humans
  • Hela Cells
  • HeLa Cells
  • Cell Line
  • Calcium Signaling
  • Calcium