Fig. 6.

The actin cytoskeleton of cells in microtracks is similar to that in a 3D matrix. No significant difference (p > 0.05) is observed in MDAMB231 cell area (A) or perimeter (B) when plated within a 3D collagen matrix or microtrack environment. Mean ± SD; n > 30 cells, 2 independent experiments. Cells in 3D matrices and tracks also have similar distributions of aspect ratio and circularity (C). Actin structure of the MDAMB231 cell within a 3D matrix (D) and within a patterned collagen track (E) is largely cortical. Fluorescent staining of actin fibers (left), confocal reflectance imaging of the collagen fibers (middle), and merge image with additional DAPI staining (right). View in channel is a single slice of the x–y plane. Scale bar = 20 μm.