Fig. 1.

Schematic of the photoactive protein and gradient lithography protocol. (a) Primary amino acid sequence of the aECM-N₃ protein. During synthesis, the phenylalanine (F) amino acids are partially substituted with the non-canonical, photoactive amino acid pN₃Phe. (b) The protein solution is spin-coated or drop-deposited onto an aminated glass substrate and DMD (Digital Micromirror Device) projection gradient lithography is used to control the dosage of UV exposure and hence the extent of crosslinking, resulting in the fabrication of gradient protein patterns