Data From: Matrix tropism influences endometriotic cell attachment patterns

Due to the extended period for clinical diagnosis, the etiology of
endometriotic lesion initiation is not well understood or characterized.
Endometriotic lesions are most often found on pelvic tissues and organs,
especially the ovaries. To investigate the role of tissue tropism on
ovarian endometrioma initiation, we adapted a well-characterized
polyacrylamide microarray system to investigate the role of
tissue-specific extracellular matrix and adhesion motifs on endometriotic
cell attachment, morphology, and size. We report the influence of cell
origin (endometriotic vs. non-endometriotic), substrate stiffness
mimicking aging and fibrosis, and the role of multicellular
(epithelial-stromal) cohorts on cell attachment patterns. We identify
multiple ovarian-specific attachment motifs that significantly increase
endometriotic (vs. non-endometriotic) cell cohort attachment that could be
implicated in early disease etiology.