FIGURE 2.

Cortical mesh appears to be organized at two predominant length scales. (A–D) High magnification deflection AFM images of living BPAECs in a physiological saline. The filamentous mesh appears to be organized on two length scales, with coarse mesh (arrowheads) and fine mesh filaments (arrows). The coarse mesh forms larger elements and is easier to identify, whereas the fine mesh elements have much smaller dimensions. Further, contrast in the fine mesh is weak, making it difficult to completely trace. In places, the fine mesh runs over the coarse mesh and is thus more proximal to the membrane. In other places, the mesh may run under the coarse mesh, or is not visible due to the weak contrast. Thus, the two meshes are likely intertwined, although it is possible that the fine mesh is layered over the coarse mesh. Lateral resolution in these images is ∼125 nm. Scale bars are 1 μm.