FIG. 1.

(A) Glioblastoma stem cell (GSC) neurospheres present different migration characteristics when seeded within Matrigel matrices of different concentrations. Neurospheres exhibit migration by expansive growth when cultured in three-dimensional (3D) matrices of Matrigel 100% and 75%, while Matrigel 50% exhibits multicellular strand migration due to low compliance of the matrix (semi-3D substrate). Scale bars 100 μm. Migration was determined as the distance from the initial perimeter of the neurosphere to the edge of the most external strand or migratory cell. (B) GSCs cultured in Matrigel 50% develop contacts with rigid surfaces of the plate (semi-3D substrate), giving onset to wide, stable, and long protrusions that comprised one or more cells with intact and stable cell–cell contacts. Neurospheres after 72h of culture were fixed and stained with Hoechst 33342 and N-cadherin-Alexa 488. Staining for nuclei was incomplete due to the high density of the neurosphere. Scale bars 25 μm. Color images available online at www.liebertpub.com/tea