Figure 1.

Matrigel coating is not required to maintain morphology, viability, and proliferation of iAs in vitro. RUCDR-iAs were cultured with and without Matrigel coating. (A) Phase contrast images (20× magnification) showing typical astrocyte star-like cellular morphology (arrowheads) with elongated cell processes and early network formation (arrows) in Matrigel-coated (A1) and uncoated (A2) iAs. Scale, 50μΜ. Note: A1a is a representative image, and A1b is a cropped-out portion of A1a to show additional detail (Matrigel. Similarly, A2a is a representative image, and A2b is a cropped-out portion of A2a to show additional detail. (B) Quantification of the total number of viable cells per cm² of well surface area 72 h post culture. (n = 3). (C) Proliferation rate of iAs as measured by counting viable cells at various days of culture with and without Matrigel coating (n = 3). (D) Representative dot plots of Ki67 expression in RUDCR-iAs cultured with and without Matrigel coating. (E) Percent expression of Ki67+ cells in iAs plated with and without Matrigel and NPCs plated with Matrigel coating via quantitative flow cytometry (n = 3). (F) Fold change in Ki67 mRNA replication in RUCDR-iAs plated with and without Matrigel coating compared to NPC (n = 3). p-values determined by unpaired two-tailed t-test.