Figure 2.

Cell culture on arrays of posts. (A) Scanning electron micrograph of a representative smooth muscle cell attached to an array of posts that was uniformly coated with fibronectin. Cells attached at multiple points along the posts as well as the base of the substrates. (B) Schematic of microcontact printing of protein (red), precoated on a PDMS stamp, onto the tips of the posts (gray). (C) Differential interference contrast (Upper) and immunofluorescence (Lower) micrographs of the same region of posts where a 2 × 2 array of posts has been printed with fibronectin. (D and E) Scanning electron micrograph (D) and phase-contrast micrograph (E) of representative smooth muscle cells attached to posts where only the tips of the posts have been printed with fibronectin by using a flat PDMS stamp. Cells deflected posts maximally during the 1- to 2-h period after plating, were fully spread after 2 h, and were fixed and critical point dried 4 h after plating. (Scale bars indicate 10 μm.)