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. 2009 Oct 15;1(2):86–94. doi: 10.1021/cn900011n

Figure 4.

Figure 4

Representative confocal cross-sectional images (b−d and f−h) showing the presence of different synaptic proteins at the bead−axon contact points in a single culture. This experiment was performed using SS-BLM/beads containing of DOPC/DOTAP/DPPE, 25:25:50 (as per Figure 3), in the bilayer when cocultured with hippocampal neurons (DIV 14). The fluorescence clustering (boutons) is seen along the neurites along with an enhanced clustering on the beads that are in contact with the axons. The cells are fixed and incubated with (b) phalloidin−Alexa-488 (green channel) for actin filaments, (c) antisynaptophysin/α-rabbit−Alexa-543 (red channel) for synaptophysin, and (d) antibassoon/α-mouse−Cy-5 (blue channel) for bassoon. The DIC channel (a) shows the exact locations of SS-BLM/beads in the culture. Lower panels (e−f) show a single bead in culture. The images here were acquired at a slightly higher plane compared with the other figures for better visualization of fluorescence around the beads. Scale bars are 25 μm (a−d) and 5 μm (e−h).