Cited by 1,760Cellular Mechanics and Interactions3D Printing in Biomedical ResearchHydrogels: synthesis, properties, applications

Deconstructing the third dimension – how 3D culture microenvironments alter cellular cues

Open access
Baker, Brendon M., Chen, Christopher S.·2012·Journal of Cell Science

Abstract

Much of our understanding of the biological mechanisms that underlie cellular functions, such as migration, differentiation and force-sensing has been garnered from studying cells cultured on two-dimensional (2D) glass or plastic surfaces. However, more recently the cell biology field has come to appreciate the dissimilarity between these flat surfaces and the topographically complex, three-dimensional (3D) extracellular environments in which cells routinely operate in vivo. This has spurred substantial efforts towards the development of in vitro 3D biomimetic environments and has encouraged much cross-disciplinary work among biologists, material scientists and tissue engineers. As we move towards more-physiological culture systems for studying fundamental cellular processes, it is crucial to define exactly which factors are operative in 3D microenvironments. Thus, the focus of this Commentary will be on identifying and describing the fundamental features of 3D cell culture systems that influence cell structure, adhesion, mechanotransduction and signaling in response to soluble factors, which – in turn – regulate overall cellular function in ways that depart dramatically from traditional 2D culture formats. Additionally, we will describe experimental scenarios in which 3D culture is particularly relevant, highlight recent advances in materials engineering for studying cell biology, and discuss examples where studying cells in a 3D context provided insights that would not have been observed in traditional 2D systems.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1242/jcs.079509

Cites

133 of 133 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Recomputing p-values needs the paper’s full text.

Claims the paper makes

We couldn’t retrieve this paper’s full text, so its claims and self-check weren’t run. The registry and citation checks still apply.

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

  • Increasing the dimensionality of extracellular matrix around cells from 2D to 3D can significantly impact cell proliferation, differentiation, mechano-responses, and survival.

    “Results from 3D studies demonstrate that increasing the dimensionality of extracellular matrix (ECM) around cells from 2D to 3D can significantly impact cell proliferation, differentiation, mechano-responses, and cell survival (2,10,41).”

    From Modeling physiological events in 2D vs. 3D cell culture (2017) · cites this paper as [2]

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Baker, B. M., & Chen, C. S.
Affiliations
University of Pennsylvania (US)
Corresponding author
Chen, Christopher S.
Venue
Journal of Cell Science
Published
2012-01-01
Volume
125
Issue
Pt 13
Pages
3015-24
ISSN
  • 0021-9533 (ISSN-L)
  • 1477-9137
OpenAlex
W2163149880
Cited by
1,760
References
133
Citations by year
2026: 49 · 2025: 108 · 2024: 115 · 2023: 121 · 2022: 161 · 2021: 218 · 2020: 190 · 2019: 146 · 2018: 163 · 2017: 144 · 2016: 121 · 2015: 97 · 2014: 80 · 2013: 40 · 2012: 5
FWCI
6.54
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Journal of Cell Science (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • University of Washington
  • National Institutes of Health
  • National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (HL73305, R01HL073305)
  • National Institute of General Medical Sciences (R01GM074048, GM74048)
  • National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (R01EB008396, EB 00262, F32EB014691, EB08396, R01EB000262)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cell Biology › Cellular Mechanics and Interactions
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Biomedical Engineering › 3D Printing in Biomedical Research
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Medicine › Hydrogels: synthesis, properties, applications
Keywords
3D cell culture, extracellular microenvironment, cell adhesion, mechanotransduction, signal transduction, soluble factors, biomimetic materials, cell migration, cell differentiation, force sensing, 2D vs 3D culture comparison
MeSH terms
Animals, Biocompatible Materials, Biological Transport, Cell Adhesion, Cell Communication, Cell Differentiation, Cell Movement, Extracellular Matrix, Humans, Solubility, Cell Culture Techniques, Computational Biology, Chondrocytes, Mechanotransduction, Cellular, Cell Shape, Cellular Microenvironment

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review