Investigation Of Epithelial-To-Mesenchymal Transition Through Microcontact Printing

We have used microcontact printing as a means of simulating injury or wounds in a healthy monolayer of LLC PK1 cells to study the expression of Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) signature proteins. Cells were patterned on PDMS substrates using stamps that were prepared in the cleanroom using conventional soft lithography techniques. Patterned cells were exposed to an external stimulus of Transformation Growth Factor β (TGFβ) and analyzed further for the presence and upregulation of EMT signature proteins that are indicative of the progression of EMT.